Today, I tuned into the livestream of a committee meeting in Richmond where lawmakers got a presentation on what to expect and what is still unknown about how Trump’s austerity measures will impact Virginia.
Two things stood out.
First, a measurement of Virginia’s accuracy in administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) likely means the state will be on the hook for millions more in funding the program.
I wasn’t aware of the role the measurement, known as the SNAP error rate, played in determining how the food assistance program is funded. But because of Trump’s changes, Virginia will likely take a hit unless it can lower its 11.5% error rate below 6%. That seems unlikely, at least for now, given legislative staff said it’s not clear what’s causing the error rate to be so high.
The other thing that stood out was how flippant state Del. M. Keith Hodges (R-Urbanna) was about the risks to Virginia. After hearing from legislative staff about some of the actual and potential costs of Trump’s cuts, Hodges wanted to remind his colleagues that a lot remains unknown and questioned whether, as he put it, the sky was falling.
Legislative staff responded in measured tones, saying they tried to take a balanced approach in their presentation while raising concerns about job losses.
State Del. Candi Mundon King (D-Dumfries) went further, reminding her colleagues that, actually, the sky is falling for the tens of thousands of her constituents who could lose their health care.
“I will posit that the sky is actually falling for those families who are facing these devastating cuts,” Mundon King said.
Her comments were a good reminder that even in the best of times, capitalism creates crises for people deprived of health care, housing, and living wages.
