The Daily — "The Millions of Poor Americans at the Mercy of the Shutdown"

Date: November 4, 2025
Host: Rachel Abrams (The New York Times)
Guest: Tony Romm (NYT reporter)
Field Reporting: Olivia Natt & Anna Foley

Episode Overview

In this episode, The Daily delves into the impact of the ongoing government shutdown on millions of Americans who rely on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. Direct voices from Kermit, West Virginia—a rural town with high reliance on food aid—illustrate the deep uncertainty, anger, and hardship created by the loss of benefits. The episode examines why SNAP funding has become a political battlefield, the mechanics behind the funding deadlock, and the broader implications of federal austerity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. SNAP Benefits Withheld: Everyday Struggles

[00:43–08:48]

• SNAP's Scope: One in eight Americans (about 42 million) rely on SNAP each month. In West Virginia, that number is 16%.
• Shutdown Hit: Due to the government shutdown and congressional gridlock, benefit payments for November are delayed or reduced.
• Direct Impact: Interviews with local residents reveal families scrambling for food, forced to choose between meals and bills. Food pantries become critical for survival as SNAP is stalled.
  • Roy Messer (resident): “I adopted my grandson. He’s 2, and it’s terrifying thinking I can’t feed him. Now that that's been frozen.” [01:20]
  • Theresa Hodge (resident): “It’s not everybody’s fault that Congress can’t make a decision on a bill. So they shouldn’t punish the low-income family, the needy people, because that's what we rely on.” [01:31]
• Food Bank Reliance: For many, food pantries aren’t backup—they’re the only source of sustenance when SNAP lapses.
• Diminished Meals: Residents describe switching from hearty “Southern meals” to “hot dogs and ramen noodles and stuff like that. And that’s just not healthy.” [05:38]

2. Emotional & Political Fallout

[05:50–08:48]

• Shock and Betrayal: Recipients express anger at lawmakers and at Trump, who had previously enjoyed support in these communities.
  • Quote: “We do count. To be honest, I have a lot of hatred...Trump was one of those I was all for. But now I feel like he’s more about the money and helping the rich and, like, not caring about the people that really do need the help…” [06:31]
• Desperation Grows: Residents talk about hunting for food and “eating more squirrel and deer.” [07:07] There’s a prevailing fear of “people being against each other over something as simple as a loaf of bread before it’s over.” [07:31]
  • Personal Sacrifice: "If it wasn’t for this food bank...me and my little grandson would have starved for about 10 days...most of the time I didn’t eat it all because I’d make sure he had something." [07:53]

3. The Mechanics of the Crisis

Interview with Tony Romm
[10:55–22:45]

• Legal & Fiscal Cliff: SNAP relies on Congress for annual funding. The shutdown, now entering its sixth week, has exhausted regular SNAP funds.
  • USDA emergency reserves (~$5 billion) are far less than the $8 billion/month needed.
  • Legal Challenges: States, cities, and nonprofits have sued the Trump administration to release emergency funds.
  • Result: A federal court has ordered the administration to release partial SNAP payments, but the payments may cover only half of what is typical for millions—and may not arrive for weeks or months.
    • “...the Trump administration's just going to tap only the small set of emergency funds...it's going to make partial payments to people. But those partial payments may be perhaps half of what families are expecting...And it’s not even clear when that money might reach the millions of people who depend on SNAP.” [12:58]
• No Historical Precedent: “We haven’t seen anything like this with the SNAP program…both sides admitted while they were in court that there had never really been anything like this.” [13:50]
• SNAP’s Reach: Widely used across the U.S., including children, veterans, seniors—urban and rural.
  • Average benefit: about $187/month per person.
  • Notable: “It’s a pretty wide swath of the population that relies on this critical federal safety net program...but there are some restrictions to it.” [14:19]

4. SNAP and Partisan Power Plays

[15:36–18:42]

• Political Targeting: SNAP has long been criticized by many Republicans. Efforts to reduce eligibility, impose work requirements, and cut funding are not new, but have intensified under the Trump administration.
  • “There’s a belief among Republicans that many of the people who receive those benefits don’t actually need them or don’t deserve them.” [15:41]
  • As with the 2026 budget proposal, SNAP and other domestic programs face deep cuts.
• Deliberate Withholding?: The administration prioritized funding for programs seen as “core” or politically valuable, while leaving SNAP to languish. Trump and his advisers argue SNAP benefits “largely benefited Democrats”—a characterization Tony Romm debunks.
  • “In some ways, this is about political retribution…We've seen a very deliberate effort across the administration to cut funding streams that they associate with members of the political opposition.” [17:32]

5. Lasting Repercussions and Distrust

[20:05–22:45]

• No Timeline for Relief: Even as the administration signals compliance with a court order, the timeline for partial payments is unclear; SNAP recipients could be waiting weeks or months.
• Damage to Trust: Political maneuvering erodes confidence in government broadly, especially among people who feel “cast aside.”
  • “It’s just another instance where people look at Washington and think, this place isn’t doing anything for me and I can’t count on it for help when I’m in my greatest need.” [22:14]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I adopted my grandson. He’s 2, and it's terrifying thinking I can't feed him. Now that that's been frozen.”
  — Local resident, [01:20]

• “Can you describe…what a dinner would look like, like with your SNAP benefits? …With the SNAP benefits, we all have a good Southern meal…But without, it's more like hot dogs and ramen noodles…That's just not healthy.”
  — Interviewee, [05:36]

• "We’re angry because, you know, we do count. To be honest, I have a lot of hatred…Trump was one of those I was all for. But now I feel like he’s more about the money and helping the rich and, like, not caring about the people that really do need help.”
  — Community member, [06:31]

• “If it wasn’t for this food bank…me and my little grandson would have starved for about 10 days…most of the time I didn’t eat it all because I’d make sure he had something.”
  — Local resident, [07:53]

• “No, we haven’t seen anything like this with the SNAP program…both sides admitted while they were in court that there had never really been anything like this.”
  — Tony Romm, [13:50]

• “It’s just another instance where people look at Washington and think, this place isn’t doing anything for me and I can’t count on it for help when I’m in my greatest need.”
  — Tony Romm, [22:14]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:43–02:45: Introduction, local West Virginia setup—food banks and community impact
• 03:16–08:48: Interviews with SNAP recipients—daily struggles and emotional toll
• 10:55–13:45: Tony Romm explains the mechanics of the SNAP funding cliff and legal challenges
• 13:50–15:35: No historical precedent for SNAP funding halt
• 15:36–18:42: Political context—why SNAP is targeted, partisan motivations
• 20:05–22:45: Will partial SNAP payments arrive? Long-term effects on public trust

Conclusion

This episode starkly illustrates the real-world consequences of federal dysfunction for some of the country’s most vulnerable people. It shows how abstract political standoffs in Washington create concrete hunger and hardship in communities like Kermit, West Virginia, and exposes the underlying calculations and motivations driving SNAP cuts. The uncertainty and desperation voiced by those reliant on SNAP deepen the episode’s emotional impact, while Tony Romm’s analysis reveals how this crisis encapsulates larger shifts in the shape and ethos of American government.