Trump administration to fund just half of food stamp benefits | First Thing

Department of Agriculture using contingency funds to keep benefits going amid government shutdown. Plus, economists warn $70tn in inherited wealth over next decade will widen inequalityDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.The Trump administration said it would provide only partial relief to recipients of food stamps on Monday, amid mounting uncertainty among the nearly 42 million people on the supplemental nutrition assistance program (Snap).How did we get here? As a result of the shutdown, Donald Trump has threatened to cut off the food benefits for the first time in the program’s more than 60-year history. A federal judge last week prevented the Department of Agriculture from suspending Snap altogether.What impact will it have? There have already been long lines at food banks across the nation. Chris Stein spoke to people affected, with many saying they would have to scrimp on food to get by. “I’m dumbfounded by the cruelty,” one said.Can Trump even do that? The president does not directly determine how much money any city receives from the federal government; appropriation is the constitutional function of Congress. But control over how money is spent – or withheld in acts of impoundment, which are forbidden under federal law – has become a point of legal contention.What do New York polls say? A recent survey from AtlasIntel showed Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, on 44%, the independent Andrew Cuomo on 39% and the Republican Curtis Sliwa on 16%. Continue reading...