Last week, as millions of American families braced for the fallout of another government shutdown, the Trump administration announced that it would continue funding active-duty military pay. On the surface, that might sound like good news — a gesture of respect toward those who wear the uniform.
But here’s the truth they won’t tell you: many of these same service members, roughly 22 million military personnel and their families, rely on SNAP benefits to feed their children. And now, because of this shutdown, those benefits are frozen.
So while Donald Trump and Lindsey Graham prepare to wrap themselves in the American flag next week for Veterans Day, millions of military families are sitting at kitchen tables wondering how they’ll put food on theirs.
And it doesn’t stop there. Retired veterans, men and women who have already given this nation their youth, their health, and in too many cases their peace of mind, opened their mailboxes this week to find not a retirement check, but a letter. A letter saying no check is coming. That’s how Washington treats our heroes during a crisis of its own making.
I think about my own family when I hear stories like these.
My uncle served in Vietnam.
My grandfather served in World War II.
And my family’s military service stretches all the way back to the Civil War.
We know what it means to love this country deeply and to believe in its promise even when it falls short. And that’s why this moment hurts. Because no soldier, no veteran, no widow, no family should ever have to question whether their government will honor its commitments to them.
Patriotism isn’t about hugging a flag on stage. It’s about keeping your word to those who risk everything for that flag.
That’s what leadership should look like.
That’s what service to country truly means.
As I campaign for the U.S. Senate, I carry that legacy with me. I’m running to restore integrity to how we treat those who’ve served. I want to make sure no military family ever has to choose between groceries and dignity, or wonder if their retirement check will arrive.
America can do better by its heroes.
And when I say I love this country, I mean fighting for the people who make it what it is — not just when the cameras are rolling, but every single day.
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Brandon Brown is a lifelong South Carolinian, higher education leader, and candidate for the United States Senate.