Senator Reverend Warnock visited Goodr Grocery in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood to highlight the harm of the Trump Administration’s attempt to block SNAP benefits for 1.4 million Georgians

The Trump Administration attempted to cut off food access for working families to gain political leverage in shutdown negotiations

The visit follows recent federal court rulings demanding the administration use available funding to continue food aid for 42 million Americans during the shutdown

Senator Warnock: “I’ll tell you who was not in this [shutdown] fight. SNAP recipients… They were dragged into this fight by the administration, and so I want you to think about this. They are literally pitting sick people against hungry people… And so, as a voice for Georgia, I’m going to continue to fight for health care because it’s a matter of life and death, and I’m going to keep fighting for these SNAP recipients, because food is a matter of life and death”

 Above: Senator Warnock meets with Goodr founder and owner Jasmine Crowe-Houston

Atlanta, GA – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) visited Goodr Community Market in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood to highlight the consequences of the Trump Administration’s attempt to cut off SNAP access in order to gain leverage in shutdown negotiations. Senator Warnock met with owner Jasmine Crowe-Houston to discuss the impacts that the confusion over SNAP funding during the shutdown is having on her small business and on members of the community relying on this critical aid. 

“As I stand here, this reminds me of the human costs of the public policy we make so often in Washington, D.C. People have made the politics about the politicians, and in no place do you see that clearer than when you have something like a government shutdown. Too often, the media wants to know who’s winning, Democrats or Republicans, who’s up and who’s down. I can tell you that the people who live in this neighborhood, who sit in the pews of my church, aren’t thinking about the politicians. They’re thinking about their families. And what’s at stake right now is that we have some 1.2 million Georgians who are opening the portal, and they’re seeing that their health care costs have doubled on average, and for some it has tripled and quadrupled. That’s what this fight was about, and that’s what it is about,” said Senator Warnock. 

Above: Senator Warnock and Jasmine discuss how Goodr helps connect vulnerable Georgians to fresh food options

“I hate government shutdowns. I hate to see federal workers furloughed. All of that is challenging stuff, but I’ll tell you who was not in this fight. SNAP recipients. SNAP recipients were not in this fight. They were dragged into this fight by the administration, and so I want you to think about this. They are literally pitting sick people against hungry people. I can’t think of anything more craven than that, and it shows that the politicians are centering themselves rather than the concerns of ordinary people. And so, as a voice for Georgia, I’m going to continue to fight for health care because it’s a matter of life and death, and I’m going to keep fighting for these SNAP recipients, because food is a matter of life and death. And in the meantime, I’m grateful for people like Jasmine, just ordinary citizens who find creative ways to give poor people dignity and to remind us all that Dr. King was right. We’re tied in a single garment of destiny,” said Senator Warnock. 

Earlier this year, Washington Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill. That legislation allowed for catastrophic cuts to health care funding for the 1.2 million Georgians who get their health care from Georgia Access (the ACA Marketplace). Because of Republican inaction, 1.2 million Georgians will see their monthly health care premiums double on average. Senator Warnock has voted seven times to both fund the government and avoid catastrophic health care cuts. Republicans killed that legislation all seven times.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should not have been affected by a government shutdown. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has always continued SNAP during government shutdowns and there is a SNAP contingency fund for these very circumstances. The Trump Administration has flip-flopped its position on continuing SNAP during a shutdown and falsely claimed that they did not have the authority to use the SNAP contingency fund. A plan outlining how the USDA could continue to fund SNAP during a government shutdown was removed from its website. Two federal judges have since required the Trump Administration to use these funds to continue funding for SNAP. Simply put: This Administration attempted to withhold food assistance from 42 million Americans in a cynical attempt to pit working people who struggle to afford health care against working people who struggle to afford groceries.

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