Congressman Cleo Fields shares updates on government shutdown

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — It’s a ripple effect taking a toll right here in Louisiana.

Democratic Congressman Cleo Fields traveled across his district to give updates on the government shut down. SNAP benefits are one of the biggest changes hitting the country.

“The bottom line is needed, and those funds need to flow. We got over five and a half billion dollars just sitting in the USDA. That money needs to get out to the needed families,” said Fields.

Earlier this week, the Louisiana Department of Health withdrew state assistance to SNAP recipients after a judge ordered President Donald Trump to fund it for this month.

“The Trump administration said, well, we really don’t understand what it means. It kind of upset the judge, and the judge, you know, has now basically said, feed SNAP recipients are sent out the benefits at 100%,” said Fields.

With thousands of people at risk, Fields said withholding money for programs like this, is doing more harm than good.

“You have the resources to pay. And we just gave Argentina $40 billion. You know, we can come up with the money if this is the first time in the history of this country that we have delayed SNAP benefits. I mean, I just think that’s, you know, un-American,” he said.

Fields said this isn’t about political parties, but about the people. “Hope doesn’t feed babies. And I keep telling people these babies that are going without food are not Republican babies. Are Democratic babies. They are hungry babies,” he said.

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