USDA Threatens Stores Giving Discounts to People on Food Stamps

The Trump administration’s freeze on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds during the government shutdown is forcing struggling Americans to make hard decisions about feeding themselves and their families.

SNAP’s “Equal Treatment Rule" is meant to bar stores from either discriminating against people in the program or offering them favorable treatment. (Photo: United States Department of Agriculture)

Now, the administration is even restricting how much grocery stores can help, Hafiz Rashid wrote in an opinion piece for The New Republic.

After several food delivery apps and grocery store chains sought to offer discounts to those whose SNAP benefits were interrupted or delayed, the Department of Agriculture sent an email to stores across the country warning them that they weren’t allowed to offer discounts to people affected by the cuts to the food stamp program.

MSNBC anchor Catherine Rampell posted a screenshot of the email on X on Sunday and reported that at least two stores withdrew their discounts after receiving the warning.

At issue is SNAP’s “Equal Treatment Rule,” which bars stores from either discriminating against people in the program or offering them favorable treatment.

On Friday, two federal courts ruled that the Trump administration must use contingency funds to pay for SNAP, but the government has yet to respond on how it intends to comply, leaving the program’s 41 million recipients in limbo as assistance ended on Saturday, the first day of November.

Food retailers in low-income areas may also be hurt, as much of their customer base can no longer afford to shop.

Meanwhile, the government shutdown has now lasted more than a month and is nearing the 35-day record set by the first Trump administration from December 2018 to January 2019.

Not only are many federal workers furloughed or in danger of losing their jobs, but health care subsidies are also on the chopping block. It seems that Republicans are not concerned about the survival of much of America.