SNAP recipients feel ‘betrayed’ and ‘judged’ amid government shutdown cuts

WASHINGTON – Four days a week, Tuesday through Friday, Leah Skinner climbs out of bed early, gets her autistic son ready for school, takes her medication and heads to her job as a shift manager at McDonald’s.

A single mother, Skinner, who asked to be identified by her middle name to protect her privacy, has been working since she was 16. But after two bad brushes with COVID-19 and two serious heart attacks, she no longer has the stamina to pull the nine- to 12-hour shifts she used to put in regularly. Now, she works five-hour shifts and relies on $300 to $400 in food stamps every month to supplement her income.

This month, the food stamps never arrived. Instead, she got a notice saying the benefits would not be coming because of a funding battle between Republicans and Democrats in Washington that shut down the federal government. Without the food assistance, she said, she will be forced to turn to help from a food bank, which means she won’t be able to get the vegetables, proteins and fibers she needs for her heart-healthy diet and to help control her diabetes. Skinner is one of countless SNAP recipients across the country who  feel ‘betrayed’ and ‘judged’ amid government shutdown cuts.