If you’re poor in America, food and healthcare just got way more expensive.
Up until Saturday, most Americans had been able ignore the government shutdown. If you didn’t work for the federal government, weren’t visiting the national parks, and weren’t waiting for a government office to process your application for some kind of benefit, the shutdown seemed like one of those inside-the-beltway issues. Politicians were arguing with other politicians about the kinds of things politicians argue about. Trump wanted you to blame Democrats for something. Democrats wanted you to blame Trump. Blah, blah, blah.
Then on November 1, two things happened:
- SNAP (food stamp) payments ended for 42 million Americans.
- The ObamaCare open enrollment period began without the subsidies that have kept premiums affordable for 22 million Americans.
Both of these are important, but the loss of SNAP benefits is more immediate. The ObamaCare plans are for 2026, so we’re still a couple months away from people skipping needed medical care. But the SNAP lapse is already causing suffering: Americans who otherwise might have used their SNAP cards to buy food for their families Saturday were unable to do so. State and local governments, as well as private charities, are trying to step into the breach, but many people are still falling through the cracks.
The mind-boggling thing about the SNAP snafu is how avoidable it was: The Department of Agriculture has $6 billion in contingency funds that it could use, but it initially refused to do so. Friday, a federal judge ordered USDA to allocate the funds “as soon as possible”, and to report back by noon today. A second federal judge stopped short of issuing an order, but explained why such an order might come soon.
At core, [the Trump administration’s] conclusion that USDA is statutorily prohibited from funding SNAP because Congress has not enacted new appropriations for the current fiscal year is erroneous. To the contrary, Defendants are statutorily mandated to use the previously appropriated SNAP contingency reserve when necessary and also have discretion to use other previously appropriated funds as detailed below.
Other funds would clearly be necessary to pay full benefits, because SNAP costs $8.6 billion every month.
As of this morning, it was not clear what the Trump regime would do: Trump himself claims to be confused about what the government can do, is asking for more specific guidance from the judges, and warned that payments would be “delayed” in any case. Up until now, Trump has been cavalier about spending any money that isn’t nailed down; but now suddenly he is worried about the legal details.
All in all, his Truth Social post seemed more concerned with scoring political points than with human suffering.
I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT. … The Democrats should quit this charade where they hurt people for their own political reasons, and immediately REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT. If you use SNAP benefits, call the Senate Democrats, and tell them to reopen the Government, NOW! Here is Cryin’ Chuck Schumer’s Office Number: (202) 224-6542
We should know more this afternoon.
Unlike the lapse in SNAP benefits, the ObamaCare premium subsidies are not a consequence of the shutdown. They are, instead, what the shutdown has come to be about: The “clean” continuing resolution that Republicans want has no money to fund them; Senate Democrats are withholding their votes until an extension happens.
In other words: If Democrats cave, the government will open but the ObamaCare policies will still cost much more.
Republicans claim to be concerned about the price increase — which probably affects more of their constituents than Democrats’ — but they have no plan for dealing with it. Similarly, the Big Beautiful Bill they passed will cause millions of Americans to lose health coverage under Medicaid. Senator Hawley is so concerned about this that he has introduced legislation to reverse the Medicaid cuts he voted for.
Majority Leader Thune has offered Democrats a vote on extending the ObamaCare subsidies, if they first pass his resolution to open the government. But forcing a vote is only a way to score political points; it doesn’t help anyone pay for their health insurance.
Speaker Johnson continues to call ObamaCare unworkable, but again, Republicans have no alternative plan. We have been waiting for Trump’s healthcare plan since 2015.
To me, Trump’s finger-pointing raises an explanation for this mess: He believes his own propaganda, and believes the American people believe his propaganda.
If it were true that the American people broadly blame Democrats for the shutdown, then every new example of suffering caused by the shutdown would put more pressure on them to cave. So it would make political sense for the regime to engineer as much suffering as possible.
That seems to be what it has done.
But the public hasn’t been blaming the Democrats for the shutdown, and these two issues — hunger and health care — are where Democrats have their most credibility. So it doesn’t help Trump’s cause that a judge has to order him to feed the hungry. And since extending ObamaCare subsidies is exactly what Democrats have been demanding, letting them lapse is clearly Trump’s fault.
Finally, we get to Mike Johnson’s posturing: He has kept the House in recess since September 19. He claims there is no need to meet, because the House did its job then by passing a continuing resolution. By keeping the House in recess, he has made an excuse not to seat Democrat Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, who won a special election September 23. Grijalva would be the 218th signature on the discharge petition to force a vote on subpoenaing the Epstein files.
Johnson denies that protecting Trump from Epstein revelations is his motive. But all his rationalizations are starting to run thin. The continuing resolution the House passed only funds the government until November 21, which probably isn’t enough time to pass the appropriation bills needed to fund the government for all of FY 2026. So the House will be needed again soon, one way or another.
The Weekly Sift 
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משנה תורה קידושין אב משנה
On the opening sugya of this the first published commentary upon this specific Mesechta; in this opening public learning of the Talmud, my opening thesis stands and accuses the ראשונים חכמים of the Capital Crime דיני נפשות crime of עבודה זרה – the 2nd Sinai commandment. Based upon גט גירושין, an Av time-oriented mitzva from the Torah. Therefore (this word employs a רמז of swearing a Torah oath), denigrating an Av tohor time oriented Torah commandment prostituted to a rabbinic positive commandment which does not require k’vanna (קידושין the דיוק of גט גירושין), the av tumah perversion of T’NaCH/Talmudic משנה תורה\common law unto Greek/Roman statute halachic law. Avoda zarah statute law determines the posok halacha, based upon cults of personality, like as represented in the statute Tur and Shulkan Aruch codes, rather than Gemara halachic בניני אבות\precedents which serve to make a different perspective reading of the language of this the Av Mishna of קידושין. This sh’itta of Reshonim g’lut scholarship merits a direct Torah curse rather than a blessing. Therefore, this Talmudic commentary calls for a Sanhedrin common law court to judge this dispute made against Reshonim Talmudic scholarship upon the both the T’NaCH & the Talmud – accused of the At tuma דיני נפשות crime of avoda zarah — enforced by NaCH prophetic mussar prophets/police of Sanhedrin Court Torah mandated Constitutional authority to enforce judicial rulings made by the Federal Sanhedrin Courtrooms.
Obviously, to publicly call for the restoration of common law/Legislative Review of Reshonim statute halachic law openly blesses the Zionist success who rose our people out of the European ashes of Shoah, after that Wilderness generations Orthodox rabbinic spies melted the heart of that generations which resulted in the Torah plague curse, known as Chamberlain’s White Paper public betrayal of the Balfour Declaration. That this false oath, comparable to the floods which destroyed the generation of Noach, obliterated and caused the Sun to permanently set upon the British empire. That dead empire gone the way of the dead Assyrian, Babylonian, Roman, Islamic, Mongrel, Ottoman, Austria-Hungarian, Japanese, 3rd Reich, French, British, and USSR, defunct empires that together with the Roman Protocols of the Elders of Zionism NT forgery as dead as the trinity God created through the Nicene Council dogma decree of statute law, together with the Av tuma avoda zarah Allah Golden Calf God which translates the שם השם First Commandment Spirit Name unto the degraded אלהים word translation of Allah. Therefore, the Siddur openly instructs the mussar that Torah oaths can Create יש מאין, תמיד מעשה בראשית מלאכים. Av tuma avoda zarah profanes with the lie that theology and creeds can create Gods either through council or by way of Angels! The latter a perversion equal to profaning Av tohor time oriented Torah commandments unto positive rabbinic mitzvot which do not require k’vanna.
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התם דבמלחמה קאי דדרכו של איש לעשות מלחמה, ואין דרכה של אשה לעשות מלחמה. כתב לה בלשון זכר מתני’ אהדדי. לא קשיין. הכא דלגבי אשה קאי קתני לה בלשון נקבה. התם דלגבי איש קאי דדרכו של איש ליבדק ואין דרכה של אשה ליבדק.
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No. Its the duty upon the woman to check that she has 11 tohor days without spots before going to the mikveh. Therefore its the דרכה של אשה ליבדק. In Jewish law, particularly in Hilchot Nida, women required to check for eleven clean days (tohor) free of any spotting before they can immerse in the mikveh. This is indeed considered part of דרכה של אשה ליבדק. Essential to clarify that women bear the primary responsibility for their own nida status. While men may guide or remind, the act of checking and counting the clean days is inherently the duty of the woman.
This distinction emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility in the observance of family purity laws. Women, not Men, bear this primary Torah responsibility.
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דהא אשה נמי באונס מיטמאה. תני לשון זכר מ”ט? תני שלש משום דרכים ניתני דברים. וניתני שלשה משום דקבעי למיתני ביאה. וביאה דרך.
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Unintentional Tumah – The mention of אשה נמי באונס מיטמאה refers to the concept that a woman, alas often also become tamai unintentionally. This highlights that women, like men, are subject to the laws of tohor and tuma, particularly regarding the status of nida, which has specific ramifications in Jewish common law.
Masculine Grammar (לשון זכר) – The phrase תני לשון זכר מ”ט? raises the question of why the laws are expressed in masculine form. This can lead to a discussion on the implications of language in halachic texts, which often use masculine wording even when referring to obligations that apply to both genders.
Three Reasons (שלש משום דרכים) – The response תני שלש משום דרכים ניתני דברים indicates that the discussion might categorize the concepts into three paths or aspects. This serves to clarify that laws can apply in different contexts or scenarios; complexities around halachic language, obligations of both genders, and nuances in the application of purity laws. . The section ושלשה משום דקבעי למיתני ביאה links these implications to the concept of ביאה (intimacy), indicating that discussion about the laws also has to do with the connections and relations between men and women.
Different Contexts – The laws in question may apply differently depending on the circumstances. For example, the same law might have various implications when applied to men versus women or within different relationships. Complexities of Language – The language used in Halacha can sometimes be nuanced, requiring careful interpretation to understand the intended meaning and application. Obligations of Genders – Certain laws may impose different obligations on men and women, which needs to be acknowledged in discussions of Halacha. Tohor laws: (The most complicated subject in the entire Sha’s according to my Rav Aaron Nemuraskii. Tohor vs. tuma delves into the different “spirits” which dominate the opposing Yatzirot within the heart! The sworn oath brit of Gilgal – the basis of the order of Rabbeinu Tam tefillen – the chosen Cohen people cut a sworn oath brit alliance only to do avodat HaShem dedicating Yatzar Ha’Tov tohor middot holy to HaShem לשמה.) These laws can change based on circumstances, such as the level of ritual purity required for different people or situations.
The mitzva דאורייתא של קידושין לשמה – obey the brit between the pieces oath that the seed of Avram shall number as the stars of the sky. The Avot the fathers of the chosen Cohen people. This unique people, created through observance of time oriented Av Torah commandments places the primary burden to educate the Cohen children born through this marital union to learn and understand the obligation sworn at Gilgal, the Rabbeinu Tam tefillen k’vanna, to do Avodat HaShem service only through the dedication of Yatzir HaTov tohor spirits from within our hearts לשמה.
Hence the laws of קידושין exclude Goyim by definition. 1. Goyim never accepted the revelation of the Torah at Sinai; both the New Testament Protocols of the Elders of Zionism forgery and the Koran dictated by the מלאך גבריאל – جبرائيل (Jibril) to Muhammad exactly/perfectly duplicate the sin of the Golden Calf Av definition of tuma avoda zarah. The Torah directly condemns all word translations which pervert the Divine Presence Spirit Name unto word translations for God. Nothing in the Heavens, Earth, or Seas comparable to the revelation of the Divine Spirit Name commanded לשמה at Sinai.
This passage exemplifies the structured way halacha discusses purity—acknowledging that both men and women have responsibilities while using language that could be historically skewed towards men. Our Gemara addresses complexities around halachic language, obligations of both genders, and nuances in the application of tohor laws. תני שלש משום דרכים ניתני דברים because 3 qualifies as a חזקה.
For anyone asking why shutdowns are even possible, here’s the explanation.
Article I, Section 9 of the US Constitution says “No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law.” However, this didn’t result in shutdowns when Congress hadn’t approved a budget. For two centuries, the government continued to operate even if Congress hadn’t approved any spending.
The Antideficiency Act of 1870 (ADA) codified the Constitution by specifying “it shall not be lawful for any department of the government to expend in any one fiscal year any sum in excess of appropriations made by Congress for that fiscal year, or to involve the government in any contract for the future payment of money in excess of such appropriations.”
However, even this didn’t result in government shutdowns for over a century after the ADA was passed. That concept originated with Benjamin Civiletti, the Attorney General under President Carter, who stated in a 1980 memo that the government cannot operate if Congress has not approved a spending bill. Government shutdowns only went into effect after that. The first official government shutdown due to a lapse in appropriations was in 1980, for one day. Subsequent shutdowns were for less than a week, until 1995-1996 when the government shut down for 21 days. The longest shutdown to date was in 2018-2019 for 35 days. The current shutdown is the second-longest at 33 days and counting. There are also several instances where there was a lapse of funding for several hours, from midnight until the next morning, that did not result in actual shutdowns as they were resolved before federal employees arrived at work.
Trump could theoretically order his own AG Pam Bondi to reinterpret Civiletti’s memo and state that the relevant clause in the Constitution and the ADA do not, in fact, require the government to shut down during a lapse in appropriations, and spending could continue as normal. However, this would raise the question of why Trump didn’t do that a month ago, especially since he has no qualms about ordering Bondi to go after people he disapproves of. Also, in a century and a half, no one has ever been prosecuted for violations of the ADA. Cabinet secretaries could simply tell their employees to return to work, and order their respective payroll departments to pay them.
Unfortunately, as someone who is not Jewish, does not read Hebrew, and has not studied what I presume to be Talmudic thought, you will have to do much more translation and explanation in order to show how this connects with the article you have attached it to. Otherwise you are simply crying into the wind and hearing the echoes of the void.
I just scroll past these posts.
scroll past “these posts” – meaning the ones from mosckerr.
While donald occupies the Whitehouse and say things like, “I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT”, why aren’t the news media challenging him on his purposefully misdirected lie? I am surprised you aren’t doing this in your posts. (-Ed, Queen Creek, AZ)
Because the news media (owners) like him and want him to succeed.
Trump doesn’t want to fund any of government except defense. He really does see 1850 as the high point of the US. Almost no business regulation, no regulations on foods and medicines and no safety net for the people. So, saying that SNAP would be funded if the radical left Democrats would just capitulate and give the 5 yes votes and reopen government he would fund all of these things, is simply not true. Congress could be in session working on appropriations bills but they are not. The CR that is on the table expires in a few days anyway.
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