Senator Cory Booker is accusing President Donald Trump of cutting off food assistance — even though it’s Senate Democrats who continue to block the bill that would reopen the government. The shutdown, now stretching on, has sparked anger as the food stamp program faces a funding freeze beginning next month.

“Right now, the Trump administration has sent out notices to every single state, including New Jersey, that they are going to stop paying SNAP payments,” Booker said in a video on social media. “Now look, they have billions of dollars at their behest to pay SNAP. But they’re saying that they don’t.”

The senator from New Jersey blamed Trump directly, claiming the administration was withholding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program money “because he wants to inflict maximum pain on Americans.”

Booker insisted the administration could use the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s contingency fund to keep benefits flowing. He cited a report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which claimed the USDA had nearly two-thirds of the funds needed for one month of food assistance already available.

The USDA, now led by Secretary Brooke Rollins, has said the department is following the law while Democrats refuse to approve the funding resolution passed by the House. Without new legislation, many agencies cannot legally distribute funds beyond their existing authority.

Still, Booker continued to push the narrative that Trump was personally responsible.

“SNAP is a lifeline for 42 million Americans, disproportionately children, to pay for food assistance for them,” Booker said. “In my state, over 850,000 people rely on SNAP payments. Donald Trump is withholding the money because he wants to inflict maximum pain on Americans to hope it helps him politically.”

He went on to urge his followers to pressure the administration directly.

“Well, this isn’t about politics, this is about people. This is urgent. So please stand with me to make sure that Donald Trump releases the money to pay for children, for vulnerable people, for our neighbors to eat,” he said. “Stop spreading lies about what you can’t do and do what you must do. This is about who we are as a people and what we stand for.”

But the irony is hard to ignore. The House of Representatives already passed a clean continuing resolution to keep the government funded. Senate Democrats, under Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have repeatedly rejected it — effectively causing the very disruption they now blame on the White House.

Senate Republicans are now pushing to fix the problem directly. Senator Josh Hawley has introduced a bill that would guarantee SNAP benefits for the duration of the shutdown, ensuring no families are caught in the political crossfire.

“If they don’t give it a vote then I’m going to take it to the floor and try to UC it or UC a vote agreement,” Hawley said, referring to seeking unanimous consent from the Senate.

Senator John Thune confirmed Republicans are weighing several options to get the issue resolved quickly. “Some options” are under discussion, he told reporters, though no vote has been scheduled yet.

For now, Democrats are left facing the political fallout of their own shutdown. Millions of low-income Americans could soon see their food assistance delayed — not because of Trump’s policies, but because their party leaders refused to compromise.