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chuck schumer
GOP Blocks Democratic Resolution Demanding 'Unbelievably Cruel' Trump Fully Fund SNAP
"Trump cares more about playing politics than making sure kids don't starve," said Sen. Jeff Merkley. "Kids and families are not poker chips or hostages. Trump must release the entirety of the SNAP funds immediately."
Nov 03, 2025
After President Donald Trump's administration announced Monday that it would partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for November to comply with a federal court order, a Republican senator blocked congressional Democrats' resolution demanding full funding for the SNAP benefits of 42 million Americans during the US government shutdown.
"Trump is using food as a weapon against children, families, and seniors to enact his 'Make Americans Hungry Agenda,'" declared Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who is spearheading the measure with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
"It's unbelievably cruel, but Trump cares more about playing politics than making sure kids don't starve," he continued. "Kids and families are not poker chips or hostages. Trump must release the entirety of the SNAP funds immediately."
Merkley on Monday night attempted to pass the resolution by unanimous consent, but Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) blocked the bill and blamed congressional Democrats for the shutdown, which is nearly the longest in US history.
The government shut down at the beginning of last month because the GOP majorities in Congress wanted to advance their spending plans, while Democrats in the Senate—where Republicans need some Democratic support to pass most legislation—refused to back a funding bill that didn't repeal recent Medicaid cuts and extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Then, the Trump administration threatened not to pay out any SNAP benefits in November and claimed it couldn't use billions of dollars in emergency funding to cover even some of the $8 billion in monthly food stamps. Thanks to a pair of federal lawsuits and Friday rulings, the US Department of Agriculture on Monday agreed to use $4.65 billion from the contingency fund to provide partial payments. However, the USDA refuses to use Section 32 tax revenue to cover the rest of what families are supposed to get, and absent an end to the shutdown, there's no plan for any future payments.
"The Trump administration should stop weaponizing hunger for 42 million Americans and immediately release full—not partial—SNAP benefits," Schumer said in a statement, after also speaking out on the Senate floor Monday. "As the courts have affirmed, USDA has and must use their authority to fully fund SNAP. Anything else is unacceptable and a half-measure. The Senate must pass this resolution, and Trump must end his manufactured hunger crisis by fully funding SNAP."
The resolution states that the Trump administration "is legally obligated" to the use of the contingency fund for the program, "has the legal authority and the funds to finance SNAP through the month of November," and should "immediately" do so.
The resolution—backed by all members of the Senate Democratic Caucus except Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania—stresses that "exercising this power is extremely important for the health and wellness of families experiencing hunger, including about 16,000,000 children, 8,000,000 seniors, 4,000,000 people with disabilities, and 1,200,000 veterans."
Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) planned to introduce a companion resolution in the House of Representatives. Hayes noted Monday that "never in the history of the program has funding for SNAP lapsed and people been left hungry."
Bonamici said that "the Trump administration finally agreed to release funding that Congress set aside to keep people from going hungry during a disruption like this shutdown, but it should not have taken a lawsuit to get these funds released. Now the House Republicans need to get back to Washington, DC and work to get the government back open."
This article was updated after an unsuccessful attempt to pass the resolution.
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Podcaster Jennifer Welch Denounces 'Dipsh*ts' Schumer and Jeffries for Not Riding Mamdani’s Progressive Wave
The Democratic leaders, said the outspoken I've Had It podcast co-host, have refused to show up for the NYC mayoral candidate because they are "beholden to the same corporations that helped Donald Trump get elected."
Oct 29, 2025
With less than a week to go until Election Day in New York City, the top Democratic leader in the US Senate has yet to endorse his party's candidate for mayor of the city he calls home—and a podcaster who's become increasingly known for catching establishment politicians off guard with her pointed questions was clear about her view on the matter this week.
"Listen up, Democratic establishment," said Jennifer Welch, the co-host of the podcast I've Had It. "You can either jump on board with this shit or we're coming after you in the same way we come after MAGA. Period... Stop missing out on these big rallies."
Welch spoke on I've Had It the day after 13,000 New Yorkers packed Forest Hills Stadium in Queens to hear progressive Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speak alongside some of his biggest allies: US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Despite the enthusiasm around Mamdani's campaign, in which he's focused relentlessly on making the city more affordable for working people and ensuring corporations and the rich pay fair taxes, New York Democrats Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both of whom live in New York City, were no-shows—a fact that Welch proclaimed "an embarrassment."
"Hakeem and Chuck should have been front and center, introducing the next mayor of New York City," said Welch. "But no, they wouldn't show up—because they're pussies. They're pussies that are beholden to the same corporations that helped [President] Donald Trump get elected."
Jennifer Welch from the I've Had It Podcast rebukes "embarrassing" Democratic Party leadership for completely failing to meet the moment. pic.twitter.com/6HSbPNnHM0
— gato fumador (@KweenInYellow) October 28, 2025
Jeffries offered a tepid, last-minute endorsement of Mamdani late last week, but both leaders have refused to give their full-throated support to the popular state assemblyman as he faces disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani by 12 points in June. Schumer ignored a question about the mayoral race at a press briefing on Tuesday.
Progressives have condemned the two leaders for not backing the party's nominee, a move that could be seen by some voters as a tacit endorsement of Cuomo, who resigned in disgrace after being accused by numerous women of sexual harassment, has employed racist stereotypes in his attack ads on Mamdani, and has reportedly spoken with Trump about the White House potentially intervening in the mayoral race on Cuomo's behalf.
Welch warned Schumer, Jeffries, and other establishment Democrats that with candidates and leaders like Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez, the party "is moving on."
"These Democrats, they continue to play patty cake with corporations and lobbyists," she said. "Nobody wants that. Nobody wants you. We want politicians to speak freely, and look at what the benefit is. Look at what's happening in New York. And you dipshits are sitting on the sidelines, running your social media like complete dorks. It's embarrassing. Get your shit together, Hakeem. Chuck, seriously, get your shit together."
Welch has taken numerous politicians to task in recent months for accepting campaign donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other pro-Israel interest groups—from which Schumer and Jeffries have each taken more than $1.7 million.
She advised the leaders to "stop taking AIPAC money" and "go on an 'I'm sorry, I took AIPAC money atonement' tour, if you want to stay in power."
She added that Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez—often known by her initials, AOC—and Mamdani "are all doing something" that corporate Democrats can't: getting working-class Trump supporters to "cross over and vote for them."
.@ivehaditpodcast - 10/27/2025 - scolding the Democratic establishment for not supporting the @ZohranKMamdani / @AOC / @Bernie Rally
"The Democratic establishment is MAGA lite...they're pussies that's beholden to the same corporations that helped Donald Trump get elected" pic.twitter.com/33lYf9gUci
— CaseStudyQB (@CaseStudyQB) October 28, 2025
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez spoke to large crowds in both red and blue areas of the country earlier this year, focusing on government corruption and inequality, on Sanders' Fighting Oligarchy Tour. This week, a photo of a man wearing a "MAGA for Mamdani" T-shirt went viral, with the man telling a reporter: “This’ll be the first time I'm voting for a Democrat. I like his policies.”
According to Welch, "Why Democratic leadership and why the Democratic National Committee is not hopping on those coattails and fucking riding the wave, tells you everything you need to know."
"That the Democratic establishment is MAGA lite," she said. "They have the same corporate donors. That's why when you ask them a blunt question you get a word-salad answer. And this is why Zohran Mamdani is rising. This is why AOC is rising."
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As Mills Enters Maine Senate Race, Platner Says Election Is Fight to 'Retake Our Party' for Working Class
"I have held over 20 town halls in every corner of Maine, from Rumford to Madawaska to Portland," said Graham Platner. "Everywhere I hear the same thing: People are ready for change."
Oct 14, 2025
After weeks of speculation and reports that Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer was privately calling on Maine Gov. Janet Mills to enter the race to unseat longtime Republican lawmaker Susan Collins—despite considerable energy surrounding the candidacy of progressive veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner—Mills announced her primary run Tuesday.
Mills highlighted her public sparring with President Donald Trump earlier this year and positioned her run as one that would focus on standing up to "bullies" like Trump, who threatened to cut off Maine's federal funding if it allowed transgender youths to play on team sports that correspond with their identities.
She also pledged to "fight back" against efforts by Trump and Republicans in Congress—including Collins, who has represented Maine since 1997—to slash healthcare for millions of Americans while handing out tax cuts to corporations and the richest Americans.
"This election is going to be a simple choice: Is Maine going to bow down, or stand up?" said Mills.
But before Mainers decide whether to stick with Collins or unseat her in favor of a Democratic senator, they are set to choose the Democratic nominee next June—and despite being a political novice, Platner has generated excitement across the state since announcing his candidacy in August.
Platner has centered his campaign on naming "the enemy" shared by Mainers and Americans from all walks of life: not immigrants, transgender people, or other frequent targets of the Trump administration, but the oligarchy. He's also been unapologetically outspoken in his condemnation of the US-backed Israeli assault on Gaza and over the weekend said that should he win a Senate seat, "there will be consequences" for those who have led federal immigration agents' violent incursion in US cities.
Platner has garnered endorsements and enthusiasm from lawmakers including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)—who recently criticized reports that Schumer was pushing for a Mills run—and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who called his campaign "pretty impressive" and "killer" recently.
He's also proven to be a formidable fundraiser, pulling in more than $4 million since launching his campaign in August, and has spoken to overflow crowds in cities and towns across Maine.
Recent polling has shown Platner outperforming Mills by 21 points among Trump voters, 13 points among voters aged 18-44, and 10 points in rural parts of northern and western Maine.
On Tuesday, Platner released a statement welcoming Mills "into this race" and focusing on the fight to unseat Collins.
"I have held over 20 town halls in every corner of Maine, from Rumford to Madawaska to Portland," he said. "Everywhere I hear the same thing: People are ready for change. They know the system is broken and they know that politicians who have been working in the system for years, like Susan Collins, are not going to fix it.”
But he also released his own ad, pledging to keep up the momentum in order to "retake our party and turn it back into the party of the working class."
"We either organize and build power and fight, or we lose," Platner told a crowd in the video.
In two months, we have built a movement together tens of thousands strong. We are not slowing down. pic.twitter.com/NFjL5IVrth
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) October 14, 2025
Ryan Grim of Drop Site News posited that the entrance of Mills into the race could be "to Platner's advantage" and may underscore his independent streak.
"By beating her (and Schumer) Platner can solidify the impression that he is independent of the party, whose brand is fatally toxic," said Grim.
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