KSav
Senior Member
- Location
- North Dakota
An excellent point. In fact, most of the members of the Donner Party died of malnutrition and not starvation.
SNAP benefits to end due to US govt shutdown
- Thread starter Marie5656
- Start date
DaveA
Senior Member
- Location
- Coastal Massachusetts, USA
Having made the above statement, which I don't disagree with, you should dig a little deeper and separate those congressional folks who ARE in favor of the cuts and those that are not.The problem in a nutshell: Congress gets paid during a government shutdown.
If lawmakers who can't even agree on anything were subject to the same financial consequences of not getting paid, this wouldn't happen
Murrmurr
SF VIP
- Location
- Sacramento, California
Yes, congress needed a federal judge's order so they can use federal funds that aren't meant for the SNAP program.
One government official said he thinks the funds will be available by Thursday of this week, but he isn't a member of congress; he heard it through the grapevine.
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
News reports I saw said the judge ordered reinstatement of benefits by today if possible, but at least partial payments by Wednesday Nov 5th.
Trade
Well-known Member
Billionaires like the Walton family (not the John Boy ones) are some of the main beneficiaries of the SNAP program.
They know that they can cut their employees’ wages by the same amount as the government subsidies that are available to those workers. Every penny of government benefits becomes a penny less that Walmart, for example, has to pay its people who qualify for benefits.
And then there's the fact that a lot of these Snap benefits get spent at Walmart.
"The shutdown will halt about $8 billion a month in federal food assistance. Walmart captures 24% of all SNAP shopper spending, according to Numerator’s 2025 SNAP Evolution report—triple Kroger’s share and far ahead of Costco, Amazon and Sam’s Club. Walmart was the first retailer to accept SNAP online in all 50 states in 2023 and launched the Walmart+ Assist program, which offers half-price memberships for those receiving aid. “If SNAP payments stop, spending by the lowest income groups will fall,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of data and analytics firm GlobalData. “Walmart gets a plurality of the spending, so it will be hit the hardest.”"
Walmart could lose $2B if SNAP goes dark
They know that they can cut their employees’ wages by the same amount as the government subsidies that are available to those workers. Every penny of government benefits becomes a penny less that Walmart, for example, has to pay its people who qualify for benefits.
And then there's the fact that a lot of these Snap benefits get spent at Walmart.
"The shutdown will halt about $8 billion a month in federal food assistance. Walmart captures 24% of all SNAP shopper spending, according to Numerator’s 2025 SNAP Evolution report—triple Kroger’s share and far ahead of Costco, Amazon and Sam’s Club. Walmart was the first retailer to accept SNAP online in all 50 states in 2023 and launched the Walmart+ Assist program, which offers half-price memberships for those receiving aid. “If SNAP payments stop, spending by the lowest income groups will fall,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of data and analytics firm GlobalData. “Walmart gets a plurality of the spending, so it will be hit the hardest.”"
Walmart could lose $2B if SNAP goes dark