Notre Dame High School
Times
Titan
Volume 5, Issue 2 | November 2025
Inside this Issue: Sudan Crisis
Page 2 Teacher Feature
Page 3 Veterans Day
Page 7
Image from Joshua Avila
SNAP Benefits By: Sydney Cramer Titan Times Editor, Junior As the federal government shutdown continues, millions of Americans are faced with a dilemma that must be addressed urgently—particularly Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.
According to the New York Times article, “Trump Administration Demands States ‘Undo’ Work to Send Full Food Stamps,” the Trump administration recently told states to undo efforts to issue full SNAP benefits, leaving families unsure if they will receive November aid. This came after a federal judge ordered the government to fund the program fully, but the Supreme Court later blocked that decision. SNAP supports 42 million Americans, roughly about one in eight people, by providing money for groceries through electronic benefit cards paid for through federal taxes. When I learned that number, I was honestly astonished. Food is the most basic human necessity— something no one can live without—yet 42 million people rely on government assistance just to afford it. This statistic made me stop and wonder how our society reached this point. Somewhere, something clearly isn’t working. Has society failed 42 million Americans, or have the systems failed the Americans who were intended to be supported? Is this dependence the result of poor policies and politicians? Or
Image from Google does it stem from a society that no longer prepares its citizens to be able to provide for themselves in the future? And what can we do to reduce this large statistic? The problem may even stem back to our education system. Some school curricula prioritize test scores and standardized tests over skills that are useful for finding a stable job. If an education system is failing to prepare students for real world independence, it's no surprise that economic struggles have ensued. Maybe the issue is not just about government aid but how we can prepare people to live without it.
shutdown and SNAP benefits may seem distant to us teenagers. However, it’s important to realize the government shutdown is not only about politics, but about providing food on the table and ensuring that there is food in the cabinets. The problem has a domino effect throughout entire communities, even if you don’t realize it. Sometimes it affects people you would never expect, from classmates coming to school hungry or even local businesses losing customers when families have less to spend.
In the meantime, it’s important to keep these families in our prayers and the state of the Without SNAP benefits, families federal government as well. I are forced to face impossible also encourage you all to choices between paying rent, participate in the canned food Photo from purchasing medicine, or feeding fundraiser thisGoogle month and donate their children. These effects are food to help families who are not just national but also local. struggling to put food on the In places like Riverside County, table for children just like us. delays or reductions of SNAP Food shouldn’t be a privilege, Photo from Google benefits increase demand on and needing government help to food banks and local afford it shouldn’t be this organizations. Local food banks common. Somewhere change and community organizations has to start. are bracing for increased demand and urging people to volunteer and donate. Some states are trying to fill the gap using emergency funds, while others wait for federal instructions. The government
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the company with scoffers.”- Psalms 1: 41
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