House Speaker Mike Johnson didn’t like being asked Tuesday about President Donald Trump throwing a Great Gatsby-themed bash at Mar-a-Lago at the same time as the Trump administration was deciding to only partially fund food aid to poor Americans.
The speaker of the House held an Election Day press conference on the record-tying 35th day of the government shutdown, where he sought to offer a “split-screen” between Democrats in the Senate versus the Trump administration and Republicans.
“They see that President Trump and the Republican Party are delivering real positive results,” Johnson told reporters as he was flanked by Republican leadership. He proceeded to rattle off a series of accomplishments from Republicans such as passing the “One Big, Beautiful Bill.
“On the other is the Democrats, and it's such a stark contrast, because in the last 10 months, the only thing that that party has accomplished for the country is to shut down the federal government and cause this pain,” he said.
But when asked about Trump hosting a lavish Halloween soiree at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate, with the theme of The Great Gatsby as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program lapsed for millions of Americans over the weekend, Johnson balked.
“I reject the premise of the question,” Johnson told The Independent. “The president had an annual Halloween-themed party at Mar-a-Lago. That's what he went back to. His obligatory tradition. I discount what you're trying to do there.”
Last week, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration must unleash emergency funding for SNAP, which 42 million Americans depend on. In September, the Department of Agriculture posted on its website a contingency plan to fund the program. But the department later removed the plan, formerly known as food stamps, saying the money. was “not legally available to cover regular benefits.”
The Trump administration said on Monday that it would partly fund SNAP and that it would spend $4.65 billion to cover half of the benefits.
“The President is trying to protect and cover the American people, as he always does,” Johnson said at his press conference.
But just after Johnson wrapped up the press conference, Trump slammed the program for growing, particularly under the Biden administration and said that they would only be distrubted when the government reopens.
“SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly “handed” to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!” he said.
That goes in line with what Trump said last week, when he said the program mostly goes to Democrats.
“When you're talking about SNAP, you’re talking about largely Democrats,” Trump told reporters on his way to Mar-a-Lago last week. “But, I’m president. I want to help everybody. I want to help Democrats and Republicans.”
This comes despite the fact that 19.5 percent of people in Johnson’s district come participate in SNAP.
The House of Representatives has remained out of session since September 19 after the House of Representatives passed a “clean” stopgap spending bill known as a continuing resolution.
But Democrats have opposed such a measure because they want an extension of Covid-era subsidies for the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces.
Republicans have argued that Democrats want to have health care programs to undocumented immigrants, even federal dollars cannot go to benefits for undocumented immigrants. Some states offer health care benefits with their own dollars to cover immigrants who came to the United States illegally.
If the government remains closed past Tuesday, this shutdown will be the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
