Trump blames ‘Radical Democrats’ for SNAP cuts, posts Sen. Schumer’s phone number online

President Donald Trump says his administration lacks legal authority to fund food assistance during the shutdown — but critics call it political theater.

With government food assistance set to lapse Saturday, President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform Friday night to blame Democrats for the disruption and to post Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office phone number.

In the post, Trump said government lawyers determined that his administration does not have the legal authority to use available funds to pay out Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the ongoing government shutdown.

Despite Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress and the presidency, Trump shifted blame to Democrats, writing: “I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT.”

Trump said funding delays were due to the timing of the shutdown and the procedures states must follow to allocate benefits. He added that if the administration receives legal clearance, “it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay.”

He then urged Americans affected by the cuts to call “Cryin’ Chuck Schumer”, sharing the Senate leader’s public office number.

The post has drawn criticism from opponents who say the move is intended to deflect responsibility as millions of Americans face food insecurity amid the shutdown.

Late Friday, two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration must continue to fund SNAP using contingency funds. The move came one day before SNAP benefits were set to be frozen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which claimed it could no longer fund the program as the government shutdown persisted. 

It is unclear how quickly the benefit cards would be reloaded after the ruling, as the process takes about one or two weeks. Trump suggested on Truth Social that the government would adhere to the court rulings, but stated the administration needed more clarity.

“Even if we get immediate guidance, it will unfortunately be delayed while States get the money out,” Trump said.