Like everyone else, I’ve been closely monitoring the SNAP situation, mostly for the entertainment value. The most recent development involves good news and then, as always, there’s the bad news, and the bad news is amusing! See, two judges ruled on Friday that the Trump administration must immediately pay out November benefits for SNAP recipients. The program, which costs taxpayers billions of dollars a month, is also known as EBT or food stamps.
The administration must report to one of the judges, both in separate parts of the country, by noon on Monday as to the status of payouts. Benefits can be either partial or full, per the order. Apparently, the New York Times is reporting that the court order requires that benefits be doled out within days, an almost impossible feat. First, the money has to be gathered from various sources, especially given that reserves funds are involved. Then, the payments must go out to the states.
Following that, the states must then send the funds and electronic files that instruct who gets paid and how much to their vendors and those vendors will then push the money onto the lazy moochers’ precious EBT cards. Even though it’s 2025, this process normally takes up to two weeks and the courts apparently expect water to be turned into wine.
It seems that most people think that this can all happen within hours. It simply cannot, even given the technology that is involved. Well, actually, it can, but under the current infrastructure, it won’t. That’s a whole new article in and of itself.
There is also one thing that can happen: an emergency appeal by Trump’s administration and their very highly-skilled attorneys. It’s almost certain that they will file an emergency appeal. When that happens, a court’s order is typically “stayed,” or suspended. In other words, if an appeal hasn’t already been filed, it almost certainly will be. If it doesn’t happen, then that will take away my fun and I will be disappointed.
Once that appeal is in place, it could then take days or even a week to resolve things. Again, I’m certainly looking to see an appeal happen, because people will take to TikTok and cry victim. If the appeal suspends payouts, I will be laughing in their faces, as I have already been doing on TikTok.
What is certain is this: even if the court order stands, and I hope that it doesn’t, people will not wake up Monday morning to new funds on their cards. Nor Tuesday, nor Wednesday. Hell, money might not show up until the following Monday.
Now, the truth of the matter is that I of course know that if everyone works together, money could in theory appear on cards as soon as Tuesday. The technology exists. It will take a lot of extra work, and people will have to put in overtime to make it happen, but it could become reality if the order stands and if people really work at it. But that isn’t going to happen. I can almost guarantee it.
If there is an appeal, that must first be resolved. If Trump’s administration decides to not appeal, then it will take the moving of mountains to comply with the judge’s apparent order to make funds magically appear in a matter of days.
The interesting thing is that the order allows for partial payments to be made, meaning that a single person who gets $120 he doesn’t deserve might only see $60. We don’t know what’s going to happen. If the appeal is denied, assuming that one is filed, or if the administration decides to just let it happen, we might see SNAP recipients whine about decreased benefits. I would rather see no benefits at all, but I’ll take partial because people will still suffer, and that’s what I like to see.
For now, lazy parents can’t feed their own children and as a result, millions of children will likely go to bed hungry tonight, and that amuses me. Sure, there are food banks. There is also private assistance from family and friends and there are credit cards, savings accounts and so forth, but most people won’t be able to access a food pantry until Monday. Many will get boxes of food, but a great many more will leave empty-handed because supplies won’t be able to meet demand.
I wish I could be there to take selfies with people bereft of food so that I can laugh at them, but that might put my safety in jeopardy and, no matter how fun it would be, that would be a low blow, wouldn’t it? Even I have my limits.
My parish runs a pantry that doles out food on Mondays and Thursdays. Given the so-called “crisis,” my parish apparently needs more volunteers to help with what will be three or four times the normal caseload, meaning that on Monday, there will likely be around 110 people in line. I was asked today at Mass to assist, but, while struggling hard to keep from laughing, I had to decline, because…well, hell, I just don’t want to be an enabler. Plus, I simply don’t care about starving people. Not even starving children.
Unlike most people, I am prepared. I saw this coming last month, and using means that did not involve SNAP as I work for a living, and I prepared a stash of food that will last weeks so that I can avoid stores, where SNAP recipients will likely cause riots and rob and steal. I plan to stay safe and sound indoors.
Should anyone try to threaten my supply, even if they’re acting out of desperation for their children, I am prepared to defend myself quite aggressively. My food stash must and will be protected, no matter how pitiful the person.
Yes, I have food sufficient to feed myself and even help my neighbors. I could even bring some food to donate to the pantry and still have enough to meet my needs until the stores become safe again. But I won’t do any of that, because I am not an enabler. Well, that, and I am not known for compassion or empathy, and I’m told that I’ve been that way since I was a child. I see no reason to change that.
I guess what I’m trying to say here is that our nation’s lazy shouldn’t count their chickens until those chickens roost onto their cards. There’s still a lot going on behind the scenes, and I am confident and hopeful that an appeal will be filed, and millions will cry and whine that they’re victims.
Maybe, I don’t know, get a damn job?
There is a follow-up article. Read it!