longer.blue

Children are small, they don’t need much food. Michael McDermott just now You remember the ‘Big Beautiful Bill Act’? It was big because it gave huge tax breaks to those who were already obscenely rich or to corporations who were already undertaxed. It was beautiful because…? I guess it depends on which rung of the poverty ladder best describes your position. If you’re near the top, then it’s beautiful. If you occupy a lower rung, then not so cute. You see, those tax breaks have to be paid for somehow -- that money has to come from somewhere. If it isn’t coming in, then you have to stop it from going out. So, in order to fund those cuts Trump and the Republicans slashed veteran’s benefits, cut subsidies to make Medicare affordable for senior citizens, drastically reduced FEMA funds, are threatening Social Security benefits, cut so much from Medicaid rural hospitals are forced to close, and on and on. They have assaulted the Social Safety Net to the point they are practically guaranteeing and country of only two tiers – them and us. By far the most insidious thing, the thing that best highlights the cruel heartlessness of Trump and the Republicans is their attack on the SNAP program which provided food for starving children and seniors. It’s right pout of Orwell; those who don’t produce aren’t worthy of concern. Oh yeah, they want your vote in the upcoming elections so they can continue their war against the American people. See this – Boldface mine: About 80,000 Kentuckians have lost access to food aid under federal rule changes Story by Sarah Ladd • 4h • 2 min read Some 80,000 Kentuckians have lost access to the food benefits known as SNAP because of federal changes to the program, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Kentucky’s congressional delegation on Wednesday. Beshear said that number includes 24,655 children and 6,572 seniors. He asked that federal officials “take action to ensure our most vulnerable citizens, including children and the elderly, do not go hungry for reasons beyond their control.” The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program currently provides benefits to 286,921 Kentucky households, according to state data. According to Beshear, just shy of 547,000 individuals are getting assistance — down from 627,164 in October 2025. Households in Kentucky receiving SNAP get an average of $346 each month, according to state data. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a sweeping budget bill passed by Congress in 2025, made several changes to the program that Beshear and others have said would cause greater food insecurity. Last November, veterans, the homeless, recent foster care youth and adults ages 54-64 were no longer exempt from work requirements to receive food benefits for themselves and their families through SNAP. “We should be fighting hunger, not causing it; yet the President’s cruel and unnecessary changes to SNAP are causing more than 80,000 Kentuckians – and millions of Americans across our country – to face hunger,” Beshear said in a statement. Thanks for reading Michael’s Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.