Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) delivered a fiery floor speech on Wednesday, chastising his Democratic colleagues for introducing legislation to fund SNAP benefits after consistently voting against a GOP proposal to reopen the government.
In remarks on the Senate floor, the Republican leader blasted the last-ditch effort to cover the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), whose funds are set to dry up this week, accusing Democrats of only now realizing that “there might be some consequences” to a shutdown.
“Let me just point out, if I might, that we are 29 days into a Democrat shutdown, and the senator from New Mexico was absolutely right: SNAP recipients shouldn’t go without food. People should be getting paid in this country,” Thune said, referring to Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), who is leading legislation to fund SNAP.
“And we’ve tried to do that 13 times,” Thune continued, growing in volume. “You voted no 13 times.”
Thune accused Democrats of playing games with people’s livelihoods over the last month, when the Senate voted 13 times on the Republican bill to reopen the government.
“This isn’t a political game,” Thune said. “These are real people’s lives that we’re talking about. And you all just figured out 29 days in that, ‘Oh, there might be some consequences. There are people who’ll run out of money’?”
“Yeah, we’re 29 days in, and they’ve done their best to make sure that a lot of these programs are funded, but at some point the government runs out of money,” he said, adding, “My aching back. You finally realize this thing has consequences.”
Democrats and Republicans are pushing dueling bills to fund SNAP, as the national discussion over the nearly month-long shutdown has zeroed in on the food aid program, which will stop distributing funds at the end of the month.
Sen. Josh Hawley’s bill has the backing of at least 10 GOP senators and one Democratic senator, while Luján’s bill is backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and the broader party.
Thune has criticized Hawley’s legislation for funding isolated government programs, pushing instead for the upper chamber to vote to reopen the government. Democrats have consistently insisted they would not support the GOP funding bill unless the expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies are extended.
