Two Massachusetts lawmakers tore into congressional Republicans on Friday, saying they’d be entirely to blame if food assistance for the poorest and most vulnerable Americans runs out as expected early next month.

But U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, sidestepped any suggestions on Friday that their own party bears the blame for the three-week-old federal government shutdown that’s led to the current crisis.

Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could run out by Nov. 1 if warring Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill don’t get a deal to reopen the government.

That means some 1.1 million Bay State residents could lose their SNAP benefits. The program was formerly referred to as food stamps.

President Donald Trump and his

See Full Page