The QOTD has bupkis to do with the movie franchise, consider it a follow up to Cassandra’s snappy SNAP post this morning.

The Hunger Games Begin is the title of a Substack post by Paul Krugman. The learned professor and NYT refugee is worried about how the government shutdown is savaging food-related programs, especially SNAP aka the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.

SNAP is great program: 40% of its funding goes to feed children. There’s plenty of money to fund the program during the shutdown, but Republicans refuse to allow the emergency fund to be tapped. Why? Professor Krugman has a notion:

“… passing legislation to keep food aid flowing would require that Mike Johnson, the speaker, call the House back into session – something which he refuses to do. While we don’t know for sure the reason behind Johnson’s refusal, there is widespread speculation that it’s to avoid swearing in the newly elected Arizona congresswoman Adelina Grijalva, who would supply the crucial vote needed to force an overall vote on releasing the Epstein files. It sounds crazy to say that Republicans are making children go hungry to protect pedophiles, but it’s actually a reasonable interpretation of the situation.”

Crazy is in fashion right now, alas. As far as MAGA Republicans are concerned SNAP only benefits the undeserving urban poor. Wrong: SNAP benefits the rural poor in areas carried by the Trump-Vance ticket. It’s yet another fuck you to their own supporters. No wonder Team MAGA is so unpopular.

The featured image is of the late Donald Sutherland as the Fascistic President Snow in the Hunger Games movies. The golden eagle in the picture is terribly tacky and Trumpy. Is Coriolanus Snow one of President Pennywise’s role models? Maybe so: Snow jobs and hunger games are among Trump’s specialties, after all.

Repeat after me: Republicans are making children go hungry to protect pedophiles.

The last word goes to Neko Case with a song from the Hunger Games soundtrack: