Trump Draws the Line: Food Stamps Cut Off Nov. 1 in Brutal Showdown With Democrats

The iron fist of Washington gridlock is about to crush the kitchen tables of 40 million Americans, and the Trump administration just dropped the hammer.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture posted a stark notice on its website declaring that no federal food aid will issue Nov. 1, as the government shutdown enters its second-longest stretch on record.

The Trump administration has refused to tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to extend Supplemental Нев Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, commonly known as SNAP, into November.

The program feeds about one in eight Americans.

"Bottom line, the well has run dry," the USDA notice states. "At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats."

The shutdown began Oct. 1. Republicans pre-funded October SNAP payments, but the Nov. 1 cutoff would slam millions of low-income families unless Congress acts within days.

The White House pins the blame on Democrats, who refuse to reopen government without talks on extending expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Republicans demand the government reopen first, then negotiate.

Democratic lawmakers urged Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to deploy contingency funds for most of November’s benefits.

A USDA memo surfaced Friday stating "contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits."

It reserves the money for disasters, citing Hurricane Melissa, now a major storm, as a reason to keep funds ready.

Bipartisan state officials reel at the prospect of empty SNAP cards.

Some pledge to front benefits, but the USDA memo warns states will not be reimbursed.

Others, including Arkansas and Oklahoma, direct recipients to food pantries.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., blasted Republicans on CNN’s "State of the Union."

"The reality is, if they sat down to try to negotiate, we could probably come up with something pretty quickly," Murphy said Sunday. "We could open up the government on Tuesday or Wednesday, and there wouldn’t be any crisis in the food stamp program."

Welcome to the swamp’s latest hostage crisis: your grocery money, held ransom by partisan warriors who’d rather starve the poor than swallow pride.