A political analyst warned on Sunday that President Donald Trump's decision not to backfill the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program with money the administration used to pay for military salaries during the government shutdown could harm a "tremendous" number of Trump voters and cause Republicans to "pay" at the polls in 2026.
Shaniqua McClendon, the vice president of politics at Crooked Media, discussed the impact Trump's decision could have on Republicans during a new broadcast of MSNBC's "Alex Witt Reports" on Sunday. She said Republicans have gone along with Trump's plan because "they don't want to" help poor people afford food.
"Donald Trump has said on many occasions that he is going to go after Democratic programs and programs that benefit people who vote for Democrats," McClendon said. "The problem is that you can't pick and choose who participates in a federal program based on their political affiliation."
"There are actually a tremendous number of Donald Trump supporters and voters who stand to see their healthcare premiums increase if these subsidies are not expanded," she added, referring to the Affordable Care Act subsidies that Democrats are pushing to extend as part of the government funding bill.
"They stand not to see access to SNAP benefits if they don't find the money for it," McClendon added. "I think Republicans are really going to pay for this during the midterm if they don't find money for this."
