People with empty stomachs should never be used as chips in a high-stakes game of political poker, but that’s exactly where they’ve found themselves during the federal government shutdown.
The Trump administration appears to be on the verge of ending its cruel delays of vital food assistance; Virginia and other states need to continue filling any gaps in the meantime.
In the past few weeks, 42 million recipients of modest monthly payments from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, including about 850,000 Virginians, have watched in frustration as the Trump administration has repeatedly tried to cut off aid.
The administration suspended payments at the start of the month because of the shutdown, despite the existence of contingency funds for such a purpose. Throughout a dizzying series of court orders and appeals, White House officials have fought repeatedly to keep payments from SNAP recipients, including some furloughed federal workers and others who’ve recently lost their jobs in the government or public sectors.
In an especially callous move over the weekend, the administration ordered Virginia and other states to halt distribution of emergency funds through state programs. An appeals court subsequently ordered payments to resume, and the administration ultimately asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene a second time.
A budget bill has been moving through Congress again this week, and all government offices may fully reopen soon, enabling SNAP payments to resume. In the meantime, Virginia and other states should proceed with emergency help.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently announced the formation of the Virginia Cares Initiative, a coalition of state agencies helping to expedite donations of food and money to the commonwealth’s food banks and their network of 1,150 food pantries.
Donors can sign up for information at the initiative’s website to receive emails on donation sites and high-priority food needs. Information is also available by calling the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore at 757-627-6599 and the
Virginia Peninsula Foodbank at 757-596-7188. (In northeastern North Carolina, which isn’t part of the Virginia program, donors can contact the Food Bank of the Albermarle at 252-335-4035.)
In addition, Youngkin tapped into a budget surplus of $2.7 billion to provide roughly $37.5 million a week for emergency nutrition assistance. The initial batch of aid went out last week.
It’s unconscionable that the administration and lawmakers on Capitol Hill left 1 in 8 Americans vulnerable during the budget fight.
Youngkin, to his credit, didn’t let the partisan stalemate get in the way of providing help where it’s needed. Decency, after all, shouldn’t require a court order. But even with the resolution of that stalemate, the urgency of helping the hungry won’t disappear. The reality is that the shutdown isn’t the only time our nation’s food banks struggle to provide enough assistance to people in need.
This spring, KFF — formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation — reported that numerous food banks around the country faced record demands as Trump officials cut aid to the nonprofit programs.
Contrary to President Donald Trump’s recent claims on “60 Minutes,” food prices are not falling.
A recent poll indicates 7 in 10 Americans are paying more for groceries this year than in 2024.
Federal figures support that. The latest federal Consumer Price Index shows the cost of food rising, in some cases sharply. Ground beef is up nearly 13% and coffee almost 19%. Eggs, a centerpiece of Trump’s campaign, are well below the peak in March but have risen in price in recent weeks.
Eddie Oliver, director of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, praised Youngkin’s efforts to help its members and recipients face “a perfect storm of challenges.”
A storm is almost always on the horizon, however. The reopening of the federal government will not end the need to support our region’s food banks and other charitable organizations. We need to keep them in the forefront of our minds as the holiday season approaches — and throughout the new year.
https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/11/11/editorial-starved-of-decency/
