Let them eat cake: White House luxury amid SNAP crisis – The Cougar

With the holidays approaching, many Americans are wondering how they will be able to put food on the table. The government shutdown has reached the point where federal employees are working without pay; some have even taken on second jobs on their days off just to afford groceries.

It’s time for Americans to demand accountability. Hunger and financial instability should never be bargaining chips in political games. Silence only normalizes this crisis and allows leaders to continue ignoring the nation’s most vulnerable.

The consequences of that silence are already here. On Nov. 1, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients were informed that many states, including Texas, would no longer receive these benefits.

The Trump Administration has stated that it will not use emergency funds to extend SNAP during the shutdown. 

These benefits will only be given “when those Radical Left Democrats open up the government, which they can easily do, and not before!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

For the 42 million Americans relying on SNAP benefits, the decision isn’t merely bureaucratic; it’s deeply personal, threatening both food security and dignity.

This leaves many Americans anxious about the days ahead. 

The political diversion 

Now, all eyes have shifted to the plans for an extravagant new ballroom to replace the East Wing of the White House. We are seeing more progress in the demolition of the White House than solutions in Congress toward ending the shutdown. 

The destruction feels like more than bad optics; it’s an act of erasure. 

The project, an estimated $200 million structure featuring gold, marble and lavish décor, stands in contrast to the reality many families face. As people struggle to make ends meet, it’s hard not to feel as though the government is telling its citizens to “let them eat cake.”

SNAP represents survival, as many of its recipients are wounded veterans, people with mental or physical disabilities and people who are just struggling to make ends meet. 

Political figures such as Chelsea Clinton and Bernie Sanders have publicly condemned the project, calling it a display of Trump’s disregard for the nation’s history and a ‘demolition’ of democracy.

And they’re right. What’s happening isn’t just the destruction of a building, it’s the destruction of what that building represents: accessibility and unity. Democracy thrives when leaders serve the people, not themselves. 

For generations, the East Wing has embodied the people’s access to the presidency. Replacing it with a ballroom shows this administration would rather entertain the powerful than feed the hungry.

A Yahoo poll of 1,700 adults found that 61% oppose the project, with a majority saying it dishonors the White House’s history. That disapproval reflects something more profound than design, frustration with a government whose priorities no longer reflect its people.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching, many federal employees are no longer receiving paychecks, and food stamp benefits are set to run out in the coming days. 

Federal workers are now joining families that typically rely on SNAP. Both are turning to food banks that are already stretched thin and struggling to meet the growing demand, highlighting a shared struggle and the need for empathy.

As the holidays approach and the government shutdown shows no signs of ending, one thing is clear: a golden ballroom can’t outshine the growing struggles facing Americans today. If the White House truly wants to honor the nation it represents, it should start by feeding it, not decorating around its hunger.

opinon@thedailycougar.com