Hello friend,

I wish I were exaggerating, but I’m not.

Today, SNAP benefits lapsed for the nearly 42 million Americans who rely on the program to put adequate food on the table. It’s not because these funds don’t exist, but because the administration has announced its intentions NOT to tap into its emergency contingency fund of over $6 billion to cover these benefits through November.

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson gave away their game in his interview with CNN: Republicans are trying to make the shutdown as painful as possible to pressure Democrats to accept budget cuts that would make healthcare more expensive and take away jobs. 

And while families in America are wondering how to properly feed their children and loved ones, the administration has suddenly found $20 billion to send to Argentina for an international bailout.

So let me be clear:

• Republicans are creating empty fridges to manufacture pressure.

• They’re blocking the existing contingency funds that would prevent millions from losing access to food.

• And all of this to make deep cuts to programs that make healthcare affordable, help people find work, and keep our economy strong during a time when it's being battered by tariffs.

I refuse to accept that. No citizen should go hungry just so politicians can strong-arm their way into cutting healthcare.

I’m going to keep fighting to ensure that no one uses hunger or hardship as a means of leverage, because every single person deserves dignity and a fair shot. What is a government for if not to uplift its citizens? But I need your voice to make it clear that common Americans won’t be pawns in a political game. Please, sign my petition and make your voice heard.

Thank you for standing with me in the fight for decency, fairness, and common sense.

In service,
Dick