What are we to make of Trump’s handling of the SNAP “crisis”–one of his own making? Because he hasn’t offered a logical explanation of why anyone would want their fellow Americans to go hungry when the government is sitting on the resources they need, we have to read the contextual tea leaves. Before we do, a crucial caveat: the government shutdown isn’t an excuse; SNAP benefits have never been curtailed during previous shutdowns. This time, a federal court has ordered the administration to continue these benefits, but Trump is resisting that order.

Given Trump’s draconian, indiscriminate crackdown on “illegals,” his Nazi-inspired attempts to implement an antidote to the “poisoning of the blood of the country,” it seems he would rather throw the malnourished baby out with the bathwater than risk giving federal food benefits to a single, suspicious person in need.

A recent Trump post does make one thing clear: he’s holding SNAP hostage to ending the government shutdown, awkwardly trying to lay blame on Democrats (not in power in any branch of government) for the stalemate and playing a shell game that seeks to conflate a shuttered Washington with a cruel and deliberate withholding of vital assistance to Americans.

Here, Trump tips his hand that he has the worst patriarchal instincts imaginable, like an overbearing, vindictive father who punishes ALL his children (by withholding food) because ONE of them has displeased him.

Neither our state or county should be expected to fill the gap left by this dereliction of duty in withholding SNAP benefits. But the fact is, our county is in the fortunate position of being able to provide some measure of relief through its unprecedented $36 million budget surplus. The County Legislature called a special meeting on November 5 to discuss that possibility. The results were predictably underwhelming.

I listened in on that meeting, and here’s what I heard: County Executive Wendel framed the conversation by saying essentially that the Republican-controlled body has been working tirelessly on the issue for weeks, and people still have benefits to rely on. It was unclear from his comments, but he seemed to conflate federally promised food assistance with all forms of aid, whether they help put food on the table or not.

Various speakers representing the county suggested that there’s no problem at this time because they’ve heard few complaints from SNAP recipients. However, residents in need have been told that the county can’t help them, so they’re turning to local food pantries instead, and a representative of one of those charities indicated that the number of people served is ramping up alarmingly.

Democratic Legislators, including Fred Larson, Tom Nelson, and Tom Carle, pushed for more specificity, for teeing up a practical plan to assist needy county residents should the federal shutdown drag on for several more weeks (or months). But the meeting ended with little progress on that front. The majority seemed to say “no cause for alarm” and kicked the can down the road.

Before the meeting ended, county Democratic Committee Chair, Marcia Westling Johnson (speaking during the second privilege of the floor) offered the majority an opportunity to clarify common misinformation related to SNAP. Republican Legislator Niebel responded with a couple of his party’s common talking points: blaming the Democratic minority in Congress for the shutdown, and questioning whether proof of citizenship is required to receive benefits like SNAP. And there it is: the inaction of local elected leaders linked to Trump’s shameful SNAP shell game and blame-the-Democrats gambit.

Eric Jackson-Forsberg is a Jamestown resident.