¶ President Trump And Speaker Johnson Both Endorsed Casey Askar For Congress
Trump Endorsed Askar For Congress, Claiming Askar “Will Never Let You Down.” According to a post from Donald Trump’s Truth Social account,
[Truth Social, @realDonaldTrump, 9/1/26]
Speaker Mike Johnson Endorsed Askar For Congress, Claiming Askar Would Help “Grow Our House Republican Majority And Continue Our American Comeback.” According to a post from Speaker Mike Johnson’s on Twitter,
[Twitter, @MikeJohnson, 9/2/26]
¶ Askar Claimed To Be A “Strong, Loyal Ally Of President Trump” Who Has “Always Voted, Supported, Donated To President Trump”
Askar Claimed He Was A “Strong, Loyal Ally Of President Trump” Who Has “Always Voted, Supported, Donated To President Trump.” According to a video posted by Casey Askar, “ASKAR: I’m a strong, loyal ally of President Trump. I’ve always voted, supported, donated to President Trump.” [Casey Askar, YouTube, 7/20/26] (video)
¶ Trump And Johnson Were Behind The Largest SNAP Cut In History
¶ July 2025: Trump And Johnson Worked Together To Pass The Final Version Of Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill That Would Cut SNAP Funding By $186 Billion
7/3/25: Johnson And Trump Worked Together To Pass The “One Big Beautiful Bill.” According to Fox News, "House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., touted the close coordination between Congress and President Donald Trump to successfully pass the ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ saying the collaboration is part of the ‘beauty of unified government.’ Congress officially passed Trump’s multitrillion-dollar bill Thursday afternoon after back-to-back sleepless sessions for both the House and Senate. The massive agenda package now goes to Trump’s desk to be signed into law just in time for Republicans’ self-imposed Fourth of July deadline." [Fox News, 7/3/25]
7/3/25: Trump And Johnson Lobbied The Republican Holdouts To Make Way For Passage Of The Bill. According to NBC News, "A bloc of Republican holdouts had initially opposed a procedural vote Wednesday to advance the bill, leading to an hourslong overnight standoff. But Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., managed to sway all but one of them, teeing up final passage in the House." [NBC News, 7/3/25]
- HEADLINE: "Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Cuts Food Stamps For Millions — The Average Family May Lose $146 Per Month, Report Finds" [CNBC, 7/10/25]
- The GOP Reconciliation Bill Would Cut SNAP Funding By $186 Billion, Which CBPP Said Constituted The “Largest Cut To SNAP In History.” According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "The Senate Republican leadership’s reconciliation bill would dramatically raise costs and reduce food assistance for millions of people by cutting federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $186 billion through 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), about 20 percent — the largest cut to SNAP in history. These cuts would increase poverty, food insecurity, and hunger, including among children. The so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is anything but beautiful; it would cause widespread harm by making massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, which would raise costs on families and make it much harder for them to afford the high cost of health care and groceries." [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/30/25]
¶ May 2025: Trump And Johnson Spearheaded The Effort To Pass Republicans’ Budget Bill, Which Included A $300 Billion Cut To SNAP
May 2025: Johnson Reached Agreements With Conservative And Moderate Republicans With Help From Donald Trump Before Passing The Sweeping Budget Bill. According to the Guardian, "The biggest obstacle the bill faces is disputes among Republicans themselves. In the days leading up to the vote, Johnson had to reach agreements with lawmakers representing Democratic-led states who demanded a bigger deduction for state and local taxes (Salt). He also had to woo moderates wary of cutting too deeply into safety net programs and rightwing lawmakers demanding more cost savings. The speaker appears to have bridged those divides, aided by a visit to the Capitol from Trump on Tuesday. Moderates backed down after some cuts were nixed, while lawmakers who held out over Salt won an enlarged tax break. Johnson also managed to corral most fiscal conservatives, but acknowledged: ‘There was a few moments over the last week when it looked like the thing might fall apart.’" [Guardian, 5/22/25]
May 2025: The Passage Of The Budget Bill Was A “Triumphant Moment For Johnson,” Who Got The Bill Passed With A Singular Vote Margin. According to ABC News, "A smiling Speaker Mike Johnson announced the massive measure passed by a single vote -- 215-214 -- and was greeted with applause. He had struggled to get it done -- as he had promised -- by Memorial Day, before lawmakers go on recess. The sweeping package of tax cuts, Medicaid reform and immigration spending delivers on many of the president's domestic campaign promises. Following debate that stretched Wednesday through the entire night and into early Thursday morning, the vote was a triumphant moment for Johnson, who conquered sharp divisions among his conference ‘through a lot of prayer’ amid a historically low 3-vote majority." [ABC News, 5/22/25]
- The House Republican Reconciliation Bill Included Nearly $300 Billion In Cuts To The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "The House-passed Republican reconciliation plan would cut nearly $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through 2034, based on Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates — by far the largest cut to SNAP in history.[1] As a result of these cuts and other policies in the legislation — which are being used to pay partly for trillions in tax cuts skewed to the wealthy — millions of people would lose some or all of the food assistance they need to afford groceries, when many low-income households are struggling to afford the high cost of food and other basic needs." [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 5/28/25]
¶ February 2025: Johnson And Trump Pushed Forward A Budget Bill That Set Up Future Cuts To SNAP
Johnson “Fought On All Fronts” To Advance The Budget Bill That Passed “With A Push From President Donald Trump.” According to the Associated Press, "With a push from President Donald Trump, House Republicans sent a GOP budget blueprint to passage Tuesday, a step toward delivering his ‘big, beautiful bill’ with $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in spending cuts despite a wall of opposition from Democrats and discomfort among Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson had almost no votes to spare in his bare-bones GOP majority and fought on all fronts — against Democrats, uneasy rank-and-file Republicans and skeptical GOP senators — to advance the party’s signature legislative package. Trump made calls to wayward GOP lawmakers and invited Republicans to the White House. The vote was 217-215, with a single Republican and all Democrats opposed, and the outcome was in jeopardy until the gavel." [Associated Press, 2/25/25]
- HEADLINE: "House Republican Budget Takes Away Health Care, Food Aid To Pay For Expanded Tax Cuts For Wealthy" [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2/21/25]
- CBPP Said The Republican Budget Resolution Outlined $230 Billion In Cuts, Primarily From SNAP Benefits. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "The House Republicans’ budget plan would give major tax cuts to high-income, wealthy households. Extending the expiring individual income and estate tax provisions for households with incomes in the top 5 percent of the income distribution (households with incomes over $321,000) costs around $1.8 trillion through 2034, accounting for 49 percent of the total $3.6 trillion cost of extension through 2034. That $1.8 trillion for wealthy and high-income households is close to the amount of the spending cuts House Republicans have outlined — including at least $880 billion primarily from Medicaid, $230 billion primarily from SNAP benefits, and $330 billion primarily from making student loans more expensive. Of the tax cuts for wealthy households, nearly $200 billion is for an estate tax giveaway that showers some $6 million per estate on the 1 in 1,000 wealthiest estates. In contrast, the average SNAP benefit is $6.20 per person per day, which helps struggling families put food on the table." [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2/21/25]
¶ More Than 29,000 Households In Florida's 22nd District Relied On SNAP
2024: 29,526 Households In Florida’s 21st Congressional District Relied On SNAP. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
[U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP Community Characteristics, Viewed 9/15/26]
¶ Florida Saw A Substantial Drop In SNAP Enrollees Following The Passage Of The One Big, Beautiful Bill
¶ Four Million People, Many Of Whom Were Children, Were Estimated To Have Lost Critical Food Assistance Following The Passage Of The One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Four Million People, Many Of Whom Were Children, Were Estimated To Have Lost Critical Food Assistance Following The Passage Of The One Big Beautiful Bill Act. According to NPR, “The largest food assistance program in the U.S. is undergoing a massive overhaul. But even before the most drastic changes take effect, more than 4 million people are estimated to have already lost the critical food aid between last July and April — many of whom are children. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps, has seen a rapid and consistent decline in participation since last July, the same month that a sweeping Republican tax and spending package became law. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act included major changes to the food assistance program.” [NPR, 8/3/26]
¶ The Number Of Floridians On Food Assistance Significantly Dropped After The Passage Of The One Big Beautiful Bill Act
The Number Of Florida Residents Who Received Federal Food Assistance Dropped 23 Percent Since 2025. According to Miami Times, “The number of Florida residents who receive federal food assistance dropped by 23% during the past year, state data published this month show. There were 2,285,099 residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in June, down from the 2,970,283 in June 2025, data maintained by the Department of Children and Families show. That’s about a 23% reduction. SNAP enrollment dropped steadily in each of the past 12 months.” [Miami Times, 7/28/26]
After SNAP Cuts In The One Big Beautiful Bill, Florida Was On Track To Have To Pay Upwards Of $1 Billion To Maintain Food Benefits At Their Existing Levels. According to Miami Times, “The number of enrollees in SNAP was dipping before the July 2025 enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act but increased as the law took effect. The law slashes spending on the food security program by $187 billion over a decade. To accomplish those costs savings, Congress required states with SNAP payment error rates of more than 6% to contribute toward the costs of the food beginning next year. Under the law, states with error rates of 10% or more would have to contribute 15% toward food costs, which puts Florida on track to have to pay upward of $1 billion to maintain food benefits at existing levels.” [Miami Times, 7/28/26]
HEADLINE: "SNAP Cuts Impact Nearly 300,000 Floridians. It's Not Over." [Naples Daily News, 4/30/26]