President Donald Trump has faced a wave of intense criticism after quoting the Bible's instruction to care for children, just as his administration concluded a legal battle to block food assistance for millions of the nation's poorest youngsters.
Biblical Quote Meets Political Backlash
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, the president told assembled press and officials that "the Bible tells us that one of the measures of any society is how it cares for vulnerable children and orphans." He emphasised that this principle was "so important and it is so big in the Bible."
However, the remarks were met with immediate and widespread ridicule from critics who pointed to the administration's recent efforts to halt payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP). California Governor Gavin Newsom responded directly, writing: "You literally fought in court to strip families of food assistance."
The Legal Battle Over Food Assistance
The controversy stems from a weeks-long legal fight during the recent government shutdown. The Trump administration had intended to freeze funding for SNAP altogether, warning that the "well has run dry" and that no benefits would be delivered on 1st November.
Following intervention from federal courts, the administration agreed to tap into $4.65 billion in contingency funds to cover approximately 65% of benefits. However, the USDA then stated these partial payments could take "anywhere from a few weeks to up to several months" to reach all recipients, creating significant uncertainty for vulnerable families.
Last week, after a federal judge ordered the government to fully fund the programme, the administration swiftly appealed to the Supreme Court to block the order - a request that was granted. The legal standoff only concluded when the administration dropped its case hours before a midnight Thursday deadline, following the passage of a bill that ended the government shutdown.
Millions of Children Affected
The SNAP programme provides critical food assistance to nearly 42 million Americans, including more than 16 million children - roughly one quarter of all children in the United States. Democratic representatives were quick to highlight this disparity.
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark noted: "He literally just defunded food for children this week," while Democratic members of the House Ways and Means Committee asked: "Was this the argument he used when he begged the Supreme Court to let him starve them?"
Following the resolution, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told CNN that most beneficiaries should see their full November allotments by Monday, acknowledging the complexity of distributing funds through 50 different state infrastructures.
