Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) acknowledged on Thursday that federal food benefits are set to expire due to the ongoing government shutdown, but he showed no sympathy for the millions of affected Americans. Instead, he advised them to “stop smoking crack.”
The Louisiana Republican made these remarks on X, formerly known as Twitter, which sparked outrage among users.
Higgins pointed out that there are 22 million American households receiving SNAP benefits for groceries, averaging $4200 per year. He suggested that this amount could stock multiple pantries with properly shopped groceries. He went on to say that any American who has been receiving $4200 per year in free groceries and does not have at least one month of stocked groceries should not continue to receive SNAP benefits.
Critics were quick to respond to Higgins’ comments, with one user questioning his understanding of food costs and another pointing out that his perspective seemed out of touch with the reality of grocery shopping.
Despite the fact that an estimated 847,100 residents in Louisiana received SNAP benefits last year, Higgins seemed indifferent to the struggles of his own constituents.
A federal judge on Friday criticized the Trump administration for falsely claiming that they cannot pay food benefits for November, although she did not order them to do so.
Higgins faced backlash for his remarks, which were seen as unsympathetic and out of touch with the reality of many Americans’ situations.
