**Rep. Jahana Hayes Reflects on SNAP Suspension Amid Ongoing Federal Government Shutdown**

Over the course of a conversation about the suspension of the SNAP food assistance program, U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes reflected Wednesday night on her experiences as a teacher of children facing hunger and as a struggling mother whose path to college and career was unconventional.

“You know, when my kids were little, I was on SNAP. I was on food stamps,” Hayes shared. “It was the difference between me putting my kids to bed hungry, and not. When I was a student going to school, working two jobs, I was still qualified for the program. So I know that there are people out there doing everything that they can and still just can’t get by trying to provide for their children.”

Hayes spoke during a livestreamed video interview with Lisa Hagen, the Connecticut Mirror’s Washington reporter, held in a studio at Connecticut Public in Hartford. This session was part of a series of in-person interviews with top elected officials. The conversation primarily focused on the federal government shutdown, which will enter its second month on Saturday—the same day the Trump administration plans to suspend SNAP, the food assistance program that supports 42 million Americans every month, including 366,000 residents of Connecticut.

During the interview, Hayes announced significant news. A federal judge in Boston is scheduled to hear arguments Thursday in a lawsuit filed Tuesday on behalf of Connecticut and over two dozen other states. The complaint alleges that the suspension of SNAP is unnecessary and violates congressional directives. The states are seeking an injunction to block the suspension.

“If that happens, the 25 states who are involved will see relief if the judge agrees that those funds should be released,” Hayes said.

**Background on Rep. Jahana Hayes**

Hayes, 52, is a Democrat, a police officer’s wife, and a former Waterbury schoolteacher who represents Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District in the western part of the state. She won her first term in Congress in 2018, two years after being named National Teacher of the Year—a recognition that gave her a national profile and an unexpected entry into congressional politics.

She was one of two women of color elected to Congress from Connecticut and Massachusetts that year, marking the first time women of color were elected from New England.

**Reflections on Washington and the Government Shutdown**

Hayes recounted her arrival in Washington, D.C., in January 2019, during a previous federal government shutdown amid Donald Trump’s first term as president.

“In the class of 2019 there were 89 of us, and it was weird, because we all had family and friends come in from around the country,” Hayes recalled. “And one thing that I remember is that many of the federal buildings, the museums were closed. Some of the garbage collection wasn’t being done.”

After taking the oath of office, Hayes hurried to a Democratic caucus where her class helped bring Democrats back as the House majority, reinstating Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. Meanwhile, Republicans retained control of the Senate and the White House. She described the period as one filled with urgency and purpose.

**SNAP in the Larger Context of the Social Safety Net**

Six years later, Hayes serves as the ranking Democrat on a nutrition subcommittee. She views the suspension of SNAP as part of a broader unraveling of the social safety net.

To casual observers, Hayes explained, the threat to SNAP may seem sudden or unexpected—but not to her.

“Attacks on SNAP have been literally a part of every legislative package that we’ve had to vote on,” she said. “SNAP was at the center with the farm bill, other budgets. It’s a program that, every time we have to negotiate, that’s something that my Republican colleagues want to cut.”

Hayes criticized the House Republican majority’s approach in the continuing resolution aimed at temporarily funding the government in the absence of a full budget. House Speaker Mike Johnson has not called a session since September 19, and the GOP’s stance is “take it or leave it,” she said.

“I think the challenge is, if it were just SNAP, this would be a really easy conversation,” Hayes noted.

While Republicans hold a majority in both chambers of Congress, they lack the votes needed to pass the measure in the Senate without some Democratic support. Democrats are demanding an extension of tax credits introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic—initially in the American Rescue Plan Act and later in the bipartisan infrastructure law. These credits subsidize premiums for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and are set to expire at the end of the year, potentially causing premiums to increase dramatically.

Hayes called Republican requests for a vote on a “clean bill” without the health subsidies disingenuous. Given the GOP’s refusal to negotiate, Democrats do not trust the subsidies will receive fair consideration.

“I’ve heard [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune say, ‘Let’s open the government and we can talk about health care subsidies. I promise you a vote.’ There’s a trust deficit here,” she explained.

Congress has previously authorized the use of contingency funds to continue SNAP funding, but Hayes noted that the Trump administration has ignored this. Meanwhile, the administration is reportedly preparing to purchase two Gulfstream jets for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, demolish the White House East Wing to build a ballroom, and deliver an aid package to a Trump ally in Argentina.

“None of that helps create trust,” Hayes said.

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*Related: CT, other states sue Trump administration over SNAP suspension*
https://ctmirror.org/2025/10/29/jahana-hayes-government-shutdown-lisa-hagen/