US Republicans accused of choosing to ‘weaponise hunger’

House Democrat blames them for lapse of funding for food aid scheme for Americans

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A top US congressional Democrat on Nov 2 accused President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans of choosing to “weaponise hunger”, as a prolonged government shutdown disrupts critical food benefits for millions of low-income Americans.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned that the Republican Party was “unserious” about reopening the government, which has remained shuttered for five weeks, delivering a multibillion-dollar hit to the economy and leading to sharp accusations from both sides of the political aisle.

He accused Mr Trump’s Republicans - many of whom have stayed away from Washington for weeks as the Republican leadership keeps the House of Representatives idle - of manufacturing a crisis, including the lapse of funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (Snap), which provides food aid to more than 42 million Americans.