U.S. Government Halts Food Assistance for Low-Income Residents in Minnesota, a Hub of Anti-Trump Protests

Suspension of $130 Million in Federal Funding

The Donald Trump administration has suspended welfare budget support, including education and food expenses, for the state of Minnesota, which is known as a Democratic stronghold and a center for anti-Trump protests, following a large-scale immigration crackdown.

On January 9 (local time), U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the federal government would halt funding to Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis due to widespread allegations of fraud across social welfare programs. The amount of federal funding suspended this time reaches 129 million dollars (180 billion won).

Although she did not specify which programs would be affected, there is speculation that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for low-income households is among those targeted.

According to Bloomberg, SNAP is a "food stamp" policy operated by the Department of Agriculture. Recipients of food stamps receive government assistance each month on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which they can use to purchase certain groceries at supermarkets and other stores.

One in eight Americans receives food stamp benefits, with the average monthly support per person ranging from 250 to 300 dollars.

This announcement comes amid escalating mass protests by residents in the region, following an incident in which an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fired at a civilian in Minneapolis.

During his second term, President Trump has expressed "anger" toward Democratic political strongholds such as Illinois, California, and Minnesota. Recently, he has been ramping up pressure on Minnesota, led by Governor Tim Walz, who was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in last year's election.

Recently, the U.S. federal government cited cases of Somali immigrants fraudulently receiving welfare benefits as grounds to announce the suspension of 10 billion dollars in social welfare and childcare funding to Minnesota and four other Democratic-leaning states. However, this move was blocked by the courts on January 9.

Reuters Yonhap News

Under political pressure from the federal government, Governor Walz, who had initially sought a third term, declared he would not run for re-election, stating that he could not withstand President Trump's pressure and had decided to end his political career.

Speaking to reporters shortly after the shooting incident, he said, "These relentless attacks on Minnesota have now become truly cruel. If I was the target, you have already gotten what you wanted, so leave my people alone."

Flannery Clark, a Democrat working as a consultant for a private foundation, told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that she helped parents form a group at her eight-year-old son's school in Minneapolis.

Volunteers, made up of parents at this school, which has many children from immigrant families, protect their children from ICE agents by guarding bus stops and the school area after school. Some even shop for families who are too afraid of raids to go out in public.

The whistle has become a new symbol for those opposing Trump-style immigration crackdowns. When someone spots an ICE agent, they blow a whistle to quickly alert others nearby.

The WSJ reported, "The long-standing conflict between Minnesota and the federal government has finally erupted. The state has become a symbol of the president's targeting of Democratic strongholds, and Minnesota residents are responding with acts of resistance."