{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://troycarter.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-carter-statement-usdas-snap-retailer-directive", "Rep. Carter Statement on USDA\u2019s SNAP Retailer Directive", "2025-11-02", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "House", "LA", "Troy A. Carter", "C001125", "troycarter.house.gov", "troycarter", "https://troycarter.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "NEW ORLEANS, LA \u2013 Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) released the following statement:\n\n\u201cTo add insult to injury, it appears that the Trump administration has now sunk to an all-time low \u2014 simply cruel and heartless.\n\n\u201cReports indicate that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a reminder to retailers prohibiting them from offering special discounts or assistance to families who rely on SNAP benefits during a lapse in federal funding. This decision does not reflect the compassion or decency that public service demands. It punishes those who already have the least and ties the hands of grocers who simply want to help their neighbors.\n\n\u201cAt a time when working families are struggling to put food on the table, this directive sends the wrong message about our values as a nation. No rule or regulation should ever stand in the way of kindness. Leadership requires empathy and moral courage \u2014 especially in times of hardship.\n\n\u201cI call on the administration to immediately rescind this directive and allow grocery retailers the flexibility to serve their customers with dignity and compassion. Congress must also review whether this so-called \u201cEqual Treatment Rule\u201d has been twisted into an instrument of cruelty rather than fairness.\n\n\u201cFamilies in Louisiana\u2019s Second District \u2014 and across America \u2014 deserve better. They deserve leaders who put people above politics and compassion above cold bureaucracy.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://troycarter.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-carter-statement-usdas-snap-retailer-directive"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1924691498279572, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}