As of this writing, SNAP recipients have less than 48 hours before they lose their benefits on Nov. 1 as a result of the protracted government shutdown. Of course, SNAP benefits tie directly into folks’ ability to feed themselves and their families, so it should come as no surprise that some are worried about violence and unrest should they be cut. History shows us it would be expected.
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Studies are dedicated to the correlation between war, conflict and a starving populace. In addition to the much-publicized war in Gaza, an ongoing civil war in Sudan is resulting in food instability for tens of millions of people. Same in the Congo. There’s a chicken-egg relationship between war and famine — but that the two are related is unquestioned…and we could see something similar stateside if the government remains shut down.
Indeed, folks are already flooding social media with videos threatening to rob stores in order to steal food. @hersheyykissess1 took to TikTok to announce a mass theft event in response to the federal pause.
“Public service announcement. We have to stick together!! go to your nearest Walmart 6:30/7:30 Nov/3 don’t be scared,” she wrote in her TikTok caption. She encouraged folks to walk out the store with the stolen items and run because, “The thing is, they can’t catch everybody.”
“All you got to do is run, Forrest, run. We got to stick to f*cking together,” she said before encouraging folks to go to Walmart at 6:30pm, then walk out with their full shopping carts at 7:30pm.
Already, the original video has more than 50,000 views with even more folks responding with their own videos and social media posts. It’s unclear if @hersheyykissess1 was joking or if authorities are even taking her alleged threat seriously, but insiders warn that looting and other forms of theft are direct side effects of a country experiencing food insecurity.
As much as we hope that the benefits aren’t cut and that violence won’t result here in the U.S., there’s no reason to believe that we’d be exempt from violence and unrest.
“Show me a nation that cannot feed itself, and I’ll show you a nation in chaos,” former Senate Agriculture Committee chair Pat Roberts said in 2015. With Democrats and Republicans at a standstill with negotiations over the federal budget, communities nation-wide can’t count on the government to step in and help.
USDA reported 42 million Americans — about 1 in 8 people — receive food stamps this year. Without it, millions of children are expected to go hungry. And this is on top of the already 1.4 million federal employees who aren’t receiving paychecks due to the shutdown.
Societies without food are more at risk of an increase in violent crime, rising healthcare costs, mental health problems and a decrease in economic productivity, experts say. These food insecurity symptoms often cause uprisings and “food riots,” as evident by the Revolutionary War.
Nov. 1 will mark the first time in U.S. history that SNAP benefits will be cut off without emergency assistance from the government. The last time food stamps were at risk was in 2018, during President Donald Trump’s first term. He eventually tapped into emergency funds to keep millions of SNAP recipients from starving. This time, however, he refused, Reuters reported.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA notice read. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01.” In response to the demand for food nation-wide, food banks and local organizations have pledged to support residents and families. But of course, this will not be enough assistance compared to the $6 billion on pause from the federal budget.
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