SNAP lapse proving that charity can't replace the welfare state

Families are already going hungry.

Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) expired on Saturday amid the government shutdown, putting an estimated 40 million people at risk of going hungry. Already, the news is full of stories about local foodbanks getting slammed by poor Americans who have run out of food stamps. And predictably, a lot of these private charities …