Millions of Americans are worrying about how they will feed their families as a vital food assistance program lapsed for many this weekend amid the ongoing government shutdown.
That’s in contrast to a startling statistic that the U.S. risks wasting almost $400 billion in food every year, according to a report by food waste solutions non-profit ReFED.
Some 42 million Americans rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program but because of the government shutdown, which has now entered its second month, funding for the critical scheme ended on Nov. 1.
Meanwhile, a damning food waste report, released in February, found that $382 billion in surplus food was produced in 2023, the most recent statistics available.
“Between groceries and restaurant plate waste, consumers spent $261 billion on food they didn’t ultimately eat,” the non-profit’s report, noted by NBC News, also found.
Legal challenges were mounted Friday as a federal judge ordered Trump to release emergency funding for SNAP before the Nov. 1 cut off, while another ruled that the government is likely illegally blocking the emergency money.
On Saturday, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell in Rhode Island ordered that the government needed to tell the court by Monday how it would fund SNAP accounts.
McConnell, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, said the Trump administration needed to either make a full payment by Monday, or if it decides to only tap $3 billion in a contingency fund, figure out how to do that by Wednesday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled that SNAP benefits could kick in again in a matter of days, he said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union.
“President Trump wants to make sure that people get their food benefits,” Bessent told Jake Tapper, who asked the secretary if the matter could be resolved by Wednesday, per the judge’s order.
“Could be,” Bessent replied.
Trump said Friday that he wanted more clarity from the courts before releasing funding for SNAP and stressed that he did not “want Americans to go hungry.”
That same evening, Trump was pictured attending a Great Gatsby-themed party at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, where he has spent the weekend.
Meanwhile, Americans across the country have been lining up at soup kitchens and food pantries.
Willy Hilaire is homeless, unemployed and 63. He lives in a New York shelter with his two grandchildren and often goes hungry so that they can eat the food he gets from SNAP.
On many days, Hilaire’s only food is a hot meal he gets from Holy Apostles in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. With SNAP at risk, he worries there won’t be enough for him and the children, forcing more sacrifice.
“I always tell them, ‘Grandpa is there for you,’” he told The Associated Press. “’Whatever I have, I’ll give it to you.’”
“This is more than a crisis,” added Rev. John Udo-Okon, who runs the Word of Life Christian Fellowship International food pantry in the Bronx, where hundreds more people than usual lined up in the New York City borough as early as 4 a.m. Saturday to collect groceries.
“Right now, you can see the desperation, you can feel the frustration that the people are going through.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting