Florida Democrats thought they had Ron DeSantis cornered.
They planned to pin the SNAP crisis on him.
But Ron DeSantis turned the tables on Democrats with one response that stopped them cold.
Democrats tried to make DeSantis the villain in SNAP crisis
All 43 Democrats in the Florida Legislature sent Governor Ron DeSantis a letter demanding he declare a state of emergency as nearly 3 million Floridians faced losing their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.¹
The letter urged DeSantis to "declare a State of Emergency on Food Insecurity to unlock state emergency resources" and tap into Florida's rainy day fund to cover the program during the 33-day federal government shutdown.²
Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman claimed "with the stroke of a pen, the Governor can keep food on peoples' tables."³
Senator Berman added DeSantis "has a responsibility to the people of this state to put partisanship aside and lead. Refusing to act would be truly heartless."⁴
The Democrats wanted DeSantis to bail out a federal program while Congress was deadlocked.
They figured they could make him look like he was abandoning hungry families if he said no.
That was their mistake.
DeSantis exposed the Democrat game in one sentence
When reporters asked DeSantis about the Democrat letter at a news conference in Tampa, he didn't hesitate.
"Did those Democrats write a letter to Chuck Schumer asking him to stop filibustering the spending?" DeSantis fired back.⁵
That one question exposed the entire Democrat strategy.
Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have blocked the clean continuing resolution passed by the House 13 times in the Senate.⁶
The resolution would fund the government and restore SNAP benefits immediately.
But Democrats refuse to vote for it unless Republicans agree to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and reverse health care cuts from earlier budget legislation.⁷
DeSantis pointed out the obvious: Democrats in Washington, D.C. have the power to end this crisis today by simply voting for the funding bill that's already sitting there.
"They could end it tomorrow, they are choosing not to do that," DeSantis said.⁸
https://twitter.com/Floridianpress/status/1983934520198853105
Democrats playing politics while families go hungry
The shutdown is now in its second month and shows no signs of ending.
Republicans have accused Senate Democrats of holding SNAP benefits hostage to extract concessions on health care policy.
Democrats counter that they're fighting to protect 4.7 million Floridians who rely on enhanced ACA subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.⁹
But here's what Democrats don't want you to know: the House passed a clean funding bill that would restore SNAP benefits.
Senate Republicans have tried to pass it 13 times. Democrats blocked it every single time because it doesn't include their healthcare demands.¹⁰
DeSantis made clear he won't create a state-run SNAP program to paper over Democrat obstruction in Washington.
"We wouldn't be able to administer something. I mean, it would take a long time," DeSantis explained at Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville.¹¹
He's right.
Setting up a parallel state system would take months and cost Florida taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars for a federal program that Congress could restore with a simple vote.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson is working to help SNAP recipients through food distribution programs, but the real solution lies in Washington, D.C.¹²
The bigger picture Democrats hope you miss
This shutdown fight reveals the true Democrat priority system.
Nearly 42 million Americans rely on SNAP to feed their families.¹³
The program ran out of funding November 1 because Congress failed to pass a budget before the fiscal year began October 1.¹⁴
Democrats insist they're protecting healthcare access by demanding ACA subsidy extensions.
But they're willing to let millions of Americans, including 3 million Floridians, go without food assistance to get those subsidies.
That's retreat mode.
Democrats know if they cave on healthcare, their base will revolt.
So they're gambling that Republicans will take the blame for hungry families even though Democrats are the ones blocking the funding.
DeSantis called them out for the political game it is.
Federal judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts finally ordered the Trump administration to tap into SNAP contingency funds for partial November benefits after the administration initially said it lacked legal authority to do so.¹⁵
But those partial payments only cover 50% of normal benefits and will take weeks for many states to distribute because of complex reprogramming requirements.¹⁶
The real answer has been available all along: Democrats could vote for the clean continuing resolution Republicans have offered repeatedly and fully restore SNAP benefits tomorrow.
They're choosing not to.
And Ron DeSantis made sure Florida voters know exactly who's responsible.
¹ ABC News, "State Democrats urge Florida Gov. DeSantis to declare state of emergency to address impending loss of SNAP benefits," October 29, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ WTSP, "Florida Democrats sign letter pushing DeSantis to protect SNAP benefits for 3 million recipients," October 29, 2025.
⁴ WLRN, "Florida Democrats urge GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis to help SNAP recipients losing benefits due to shutdown," October 28, 2025.
⁵ Florida Politics, "Ron DeSantis rules out state-level SNAP program," November 3, 2025.
⁶ CNN, "Democrats unflinching in shutdown strategy, blaming Trump with millions at risk of losing food aid," October 27, 2025.
⁷ FactCheck.org, "Democrats and Republicans Clash Over SNAP Contingency Funds," October 31, 2025.
⁸ WCTV, "DeSantis declines to declare emergency over SNAP benefit delays," October 29, 2025.
⁹ FactCheck.org, "Lawmakers' Health Care, Government Shutdown Claims," October 3, 2025.
¹⁰ CNN, "Democrats unflinching in shutdown strategy, blaming Trump with millions at risk of losing food aid," October 27, 2025.
¹¹ Florida Politics, "Ron DeSantis rules out state-level SNAP program," November 3, 2025.
¹² Florida News, "DeSantis slams Congressional Democrats over SNAP funding, calls it a 'political game,'" November 3, 2025.
¹³ CNN, "Millions of Americans are at risk of losing food stamps next month amid shutdown," October 18, 2025.
¹⁴ Ibid.
¹⁵ CBS News, "Trump administration will use SNAP contingency fund to pay partial food stamp benefits," November 3, 2025.
¹⁶ CNN, "SNAP benefits: Trump administration will provide only half of usual food stamp assistance in November," November 3, 2025.
