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Saturday Night Live cast member Michael Che is calling out the insensitivity surrounding the suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which have been paused during the now month-long government shutdown.
“This SNAP freeze is really f-cked up,” Che wrote in an Instagram post Saturday. “And I keep seeing a lotta racist videos celebrating (mostly black) families not being able to buy groceries. There’s this weird idea that since some people have taken advantage of welfare benefits in the hood, NOBODY should receive help, at all? This country is built on greedy motherf-ckers taking shortcuts and gaming the system to their benefit, but for some reason, when poor people find a way to turn a nickel into a dime, they’re judged more severely, especially Blacks.”
He continued, “I [know] the hustle is to hate each other here so we can fight in the comments and up our engagements, but let’s draw the line at feeding the poor. I grew up on free cheese and powdered milk and waiting for your friends to leave the store so they won’t see me pay with stamps. That sh-t ain’t as glamorous as it sounds. I promise.”
Republicans and Democrats remain at a standstill after failing to pass a funding bill by Oct. 1, which would have allowed the government to continue functioning, Variety reports.
Republicans in the Senate are short of the 60 votes needed to pass the proposed bill, which would end subsidies to the Affordable Care Act, a major sticking point for Democrats who have argued that without those subsidies healthcare could cost as much as a third of a middle income family’s take home pay.
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, sent out a memo on Oct. 26 stating that benefits would be halted on Nov. 1. However, two federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island both ruled on Friday that the Trump administration, by law, is required to use contingency funds to pay out for at least a portion of SNAP benefits. The Trump administration has until Monday to respond to the ruling,” Variety reports.
See social media’s reaction to Che’s impassioned remarks below.
