Sen. Mark Warner called on the Trump administration to use available Department of Agriculture funds to prevent the expiration of SNAP benefits affecting 42 million Americans, including hundreds of thousands of Virginians, as the government shutdown enters another week.
The Virginia Democrat holds the administration responsible for withholding $6 billion in USDA contingency funding that could maintain food assistance programs beyond the Nov. 1 deadline when benefits are set to expire.
“The Trump administration laid out a way for $6 billion of ag funds to be repurposed to make sure that SNAP benefits don’t end,” Warner said during a media availability Tuesday. “They could have done that. That’s what they’ve done to try to pay the troops. Well, let’s do the same to make sure people don’t go hungry.”
Warner plans to introduce a unanimous consent agreement in the Senate to force implementation of the administration’s own plan for maintaining SNAP benefits. The senator argues the administration’s reluctance stems from opposition to food assistance programs, pointing to billions in cuts made to the program earlier this year.
“The only reason they’re not doing it would be it appears that once they’ve got it, they’ve not liked the food assistance program from the beginning, and that was evidenced by the billions of dollars cuts that were made this past summer on the big ugly bill,” Warner said.
The food assistance crisis coincides with rising grocery prices that have increased by double digits, making the potential loss of benefits particularly challenging for low-income families. Warner noted the increased cost of basic items, including Halloween candy, as evidence of the broader inflation affecting American households.
Virginia has found a short-term solution to maintain SNAP benefits, though Warner emphasizes these temporary fixes have a limited duration. Governor Glenn Youngkin is expected to provide more details about the state’s approach during a press conference on Tuesday.
The SNAP crisis represents one component of a broader government shutdown that Warner attributes to President Trump’s absence from negotiations. The senator criticizes Trump for traveling to Asia while federal workers remain unpaid and critical services are disrupted.
“I thought he was going to put America first,” Warner said. “The House of Representatives is now on, I think, its longest paid vacation in modern American history, which is not a good sign when we should all be at the table negotiating to get the government open.”
Warner expressed particular concern about a looming health care crisis as Virginians begin receiving notices about dramatically increased insurance premiums. New data shows Virginia residents face substantial premium increases due to the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits.
The data reveals significant impacts across income levels, with some Virginians seeing premium increases exceeding 200%. A breast cancer survivor in Virginia Beach faces premiums more than doubling, creating an impossible choice between affordability and necessary medical coverage, according to Warner.
“She doesn’t know how she can afford that. And obviously, as a breast cancer survivor, she can’t go without medical coverage,” Warner said. “I think that is a crisis as well.”
The senator believes both the SNAP and health care crises could be resolved quickly through direct negotiations, but doubts progress without Trump’s participation. Warner’s Republican colleagues in bipartisan working groups have indicated they cannot act without White House approval.
“My fellow Republican members have all kind of said, hey, we can’t do anything without the White House sign off,” Warner said. “And I don’t think we’re going to get the White House sign off with Trump gallivanting around Asia.”
The shutdown affects multiple aspects of government operations, including national parks like Shenandoah, where Warner worries about infrastructure damage and lost revenue for local businesses during the busy fall season. Federal workers face continued uncertainty about paychecks, though bipartisan efforts led by Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ron Johnson aim to ensure worker compensation.
Warner supports paying federal workers but emphasized the need for comprehensive solutions that address both immediate payment issues and longer-term job security concerns. He notes that the court found some administrative actions related to federal workforce reductions unlawful.
On defense matters, Warner expressed reservations about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s order sending the Norfolk-based USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean. The senator questions the administration’s clarity about mission objectives and goals in the region.
“I am worried about this order because I don’t think the administration has been clear enough on what their goal is here,” Warner said. He notes that most fentanyl and drug trafficking originates from Colombia and Ecuador rather than Venezuela, suggesting interdiction efforts should focus on those areas.
Warner called for greater transparency about the mission’s legal reasoning and objectives before deploying Hampton Roads sailors into potentially dangerous situations. He emphasized Trump’s campaign promises to end endless wars and put America first, questioning whether the Caribbean deployment aligns with those commitments.
The senator said he continues to advocate for comprehensive solutions to reopen the government, extend health care subsidies, and maintain food assistance programs. He argues these interconnected crises require immediate attention and direct presidential engagement to prevent further harm to Virginia families and communities nationwide.
Warner urged Trump to return from Asia and participate in negotiations to resolve what he characterizes as entirely preventable crises affecting millions of Americans.
