U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor Statement on SNAP

TAMPA, Fla. - U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor released the following statement:

With health insurance premiums surging and Republican Speaker Mike Johnson keeping the House on a paid vacation for six weeks, I urge the President and colleagues to return to work now to hammer out a bipartisan agreement. I also call on the President to release SNAP resources to states from the USDA SNAP contingency fund that a federal judge ruled today was unlawfully withheld. The SNAP contingency fund currently contains $5B that can be sent to states to ensure that children, seniors and families receive food assistance.

On his way to his Mar-a-Lago resort today, the President seemed to relish withholding food aid. While this is consistent with the massive cuts to food assistance passed last summer in the Big Ugly bill ($186B) to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, it stands out as one of the more callous and cruel actions of his presidency. Over 3 million Florida children, seniors and families rely on SNAP, and many are also bracing for huge health care cost increases.

• Health insurance premiums are rising by 114 percent because of the Republican health care crisis. Public servants have been working without pay for nearly a month. But House Republicans have been on a paid vacation since mid-September.

• The American people want to see the government reopened, critical lifelines like SNAP protected, and real action to end the health care crisis and lower the cost of health care for hardworking people. Republicans must get back to Washington so we can sit down and negotiate a bipartisan agreement

Instead of extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax savings that help millions - including 4.7 million Floridians - afford care, extreme MAGA Republicans are letting them expire without a second thought. It's not a trick - it's a downright wicked move that will haunt family budgets, spike premiums and put lifesaving health care out of reach.

No family should face the terrifying choice between a doctor's visit and a stocked pantry. Yet Republicans are leaving families trapped in a financial purgatory - all while handing out treats to billionaires and corporate special interests.

Democrats are fighting to lower costs, protect families' health and security and ensure no one goes hungry or loses their coverage. This Halloween, the scariest thing wandering the halls of Congress isn't a ghost or a ghoul - it's Republicans choosing tricks, cruelty and chaos over compassion, common sense and the well-being of America's families. Floridians deserve better than this horror show.