Clay Higgins Sparks Outrage Over SNAP Remarks

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) posted on X that SNAP recipients who don’t have a month’s worth of groceries stockpiled should “stop smoking crack,” saying the average recipient gets about $4,200 a year; the remark went viral and drew widespread condemnation. SNAP serves roughly 22 million households — about 42 million people — and benefits were poised to lapse on Nov. 1 amid a month-long federal shutdown, prompting lawsuits and calls for emergency action to keep aid flowing. Critics, including prosecutors, food-policy experts and advocacy groups, said Higgins’ framing was misleading and fed harmful stereotypes, noting $4,200 averages to roughly $350 a month (about $80 a week) and that SNAP rules limit eligible purchases. Governors, lawmakers and 25 state attorneys general have pursued legal and legislative steps to preserve benefits. The episode intensified backlash that Higgins is out of touch with grocery costs and renewed scrutiny of Republican strategy to use safety-net programs as leverage in the shutdown.