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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, however, says Democrats could end this crisis immediately by simply passing the House-approved temporary funding bill, which would extend current government spending and reopen federal agencies. But Democrats continue to resist that route, opting instead to introduce competing legislation.
In response to Hawley’s bill, Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) rolled out his own version — the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025 — which would also cover the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Every Senate Democrat quickly co-sponsored the measure, underscoring how both sides are scrambling to gain political ground amid growing public frustration.
According to the USDA, roughly 41.7 million Americans received SNAP benefits each month during fiscal year 2024, costing taxpayers nearly $99.8 billion. That averages about $187 per recipient monthly. The WIC program, which assists around 6.7 million women and children, accounted for another $7.2 billion in spending last year and covered approximately 41 percent of U.S. infants.
While both programs are critical for low-income families, USDA officials have made it clear that they won’t tap into $5 billion in emergency contingency funds to extend benefits. Those reserves, they said, are meant for natural disasters or unforeseen emergencies — not to fill budget gaps caused by Washington’s political gridlock.
Next month’s SNAP payments are expected to cost an estimated $9.2 billion nationwide, meaning a lapse in funding could have an immediate and painful impact. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins reaffirmed the department’s legal limitations, telling CNN that USDA “cannot legally use the contingency funds” to issue November benefits.
Tensions boiled over on the Senate floor Wednesday as Majority Leader Thune expressed open frustration over repeated Democratic roadblocks. “We tried to do that 13 times! You voted ‘no’ 13 times,” he shouted in response to Luján’s latest request for a standalone vote on SNAP. “You all just figured out, 29 days in, that there might be some consequences.”
Still, Thune hinted at a possible breakthrough, telling Axios that behind-the-scenes negotiations have “ticked up significantly.” When asked about the timeline for a deal, he replied, “It will happen pretty soon.”
Even some Democrats admit that the deadlock can’t last much longer. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) acknowledged that “there are more senators, both Republicans and Democrats, talking to each other about what it would take. What does the path forward look like?”
Meanwhile, Republican Appropriations Chair Susan Collins of Maine said it’s time for Democrats to face reality. “If they want to retain the ability to influence spending decisions, it means we have to pass appropriations,” she said.
After weeks of finger-pointing, Schumer’s about-face could mark a shift in momentum — a sign that Democrats are finally feeling the heat as millions of Americans brace for the real-world effects of Washington’s dysfunction.
When you consider as%sholes, the first two names that come up are Schumer and Jeffries!