
S3 E: 26 When Empathy Becomes Policy: Food, Power, And The Cost Of Looking Away
From United States of PTSD by Matthew Boucher LICSW LCDP and Co-host Dr. Erika Lin-Hendel
November 2, 2025 · 1h 1m · Season 3 · Episode 26
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of food policy and government actions on families' access to sustainable food resources.
Send us Fan Mail Starvation isn’t a metaphor—it’s policy made real. Erika and I sit down on Halloween. A holiday that is ironically about asking for snacks from strangers. We map how a government shutdown can remove the barely sustainable payment rails for SNAP, why many families get far less than a livable food budget, and how the benefits cliff punishes a $1 raise with thousands lost in childcare, healthcare, and food support. The math doesn’t lie, and neither do checkout line...
People in this episode
Hosts: Matthew Boucher, Dr. Erika Lin-Hendel
Topics covered
- food policy
- government shutdown
- SNAP benefits
- childcare support
- healthcare
- food insecurity
Keywords
- food policy
- SNAP
- government shutdown
- food insecurity
- childcare
- healthcare
- benefits cliff
Mentioned in this episode
Places: SNAP
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