Tag: taxes

Food Stamps To Be Paused For 42 Million Americans: What To Know…

Food stamps are set to be paused on Nov. 1 because of the government shutdown.

Some 42 million Americans will not receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) until Congress approves new funding, according to federal officials, although some states have taken steps to intervene.

Congress made money available for SNAP for October before failing to reach a new government funding agreement, which resulted in the government shutting down on Oct. 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a letter to regional and state SNAP officials.

There is not enough money to pay full SNAP benefits to the approximately 42 million SNAP recipients in November, the USDA says.

“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA said on Oct. 25.

“At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01.”

As Ryan McMaken details below, via The Mises Institute, according to the Treasury Department’s report on federal spending for fiscal year 2025, total spending on food stamps—also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—was $106 billion for the twelve-month period ending September 30. Even in our post-covid age of runaway monetary inflation, 106 billion dollars is still, as they say, “real money,” and SNAP spending doesn’t even include other food-subsidy programs like WIC and school lunch programs.  

In spite of much talk about how the Trump administration is supposedly defunding these programs, they’re not going anywhere. For the calendar year of 2025, the US is on pace to see an increase of six to seven billion dollars over 2024’s SNAP spending total of $99.7 billion. This only continues the longer term upward trend in food-stamp spending. 

Indeed, since the Great Recession (i.e., 2008), when total SNAP spending was $52 billion, total spending on the program has doubled—even when measured in inflation-adjusted dollars. 

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Seattle’s socialist mayoral candidate wants leftist media outlets to be state-funded

Seattle’s socialist mayoral candidate Katie Wilson, who has been nicknamed the “Mini Mamdani,” has raised concerns among critics about conflicts of interest and government overreach, this time over her plan to tax residents to subsidize media outlets that support her campaign and employ her.

In a recent interview on the Mostly Economics podcast, Wilson promoted a proposal she calls “News Notes”: a taxpayer-funded voucher program that would give every Seattle resident $100 to donate to local media outlets, to save failing outlets from the free market. To pay for it, she floated new property taxes, a capital gains tax, or a digital ad tax.

But the outlets she specifically named as beneficiaries, The Urbanist, Publicola, and South Seattle Emerald, are the same ones that routinely promote her political agenda. Many of them have endorsed her. Some have even paid her.

Wilson lists income from The Stranger, The Urbanist, and Publicola in her PDC filings, each below $30,000 annually, while all three also endorse her for mayor. These aren’t neutral newspapers. They’re progressive advocacy media that cheerlead for every new tax, anti-police measure, and socialist policy put forward in Seattle.

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Gavin Newsom’s Trump Attack Backfires In Humiliating Fashion

California Governor Gavin Newsom attempted to score political points this weekend with a jab at President Donald Trump — and ended up getting roasted across social media in spectacular fashion.

On Saturday, Newsom posted on X that “Donald Trump is literally dancing in Asia while 40 million people lose access to food,” calling it “disgusting.” His post linked to an article from The Hill about the looming expiration of federal food aid under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) amid the ongoing government shutdown.

But within minutes, users began firing back — not at Trump, but at Newsom. Many accused the California Democrat of hypocrisy, mocking him for his past controversies and reminding him of his own international missteps.

At the heart of the issue is the Department of Agriculture’s decision not to release contingency funds for SNAP benefits if the shutdown continues past October 31. According to The Hill, the USDA argues that the emergency reserve — between $5 and $6 billion — was never intended for politically manufactured shutdowns, but for unforeseen crises such as natural disasters.

Critics say the policy change puts tens of millions of low-income Americans at risk of losing grocery assistance next month. Democrats insist the USDA’s move is illegal and claim the administration is using hunger as leverage to pressure Senate Democrats into backing a Republican spending bill. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins defended the decision, saying the law restricts the use of contingency funds to genuine emergencies.

“You’re talking about millions of vulnerable families that are not going to have access to these programs because of this shutdown,” Rollins said, adding that Senate Democrats have the power to resolve the standoff by approving the GOP plan.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) echoed that message, saying, “We have lots of SNAP recipients in our state, as we do in many others. You’re talking about — I think it’s 42 or 43 million Americans rely upon that vital service — and it’s unconscionable that they would be held at bay and held as leverage on this.”

Rather than focusing on the legislative battle, Newsom took aim at Trump personally — and it didn’t go well. The governor’s post quickly filled with replies reminding him of his own “disgusting” moment in 2020, when he dined maskless at the exclusive French Laundry restaurant while millions of Californians were under lockdown.

One viral reply from Kevin Dalton simply read: “This you, Gavo? Gavin Newsom literally dined at French Laundry after he locked 40 million Californians in their homes. Disgusting.”

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Senator Blackburn backs bill to maintain SNAP benefits amid government shutdown

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn is backing a new bill to keep food assistance flowing during the government shutdown.

The Keep SNAP Funded Act aims to ensure uninterrupted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, even as government funding stalls.

“Roughly one in 10 Tennesseans receive SNAP benefits for food assistance, and they shouldn’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from…” said Blackburn.

The announcement of the new bill comes after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Friday that SNAP recipients across the state face a benefit lapse starting Nov. 1.

Sen. Josh Hawley is leading the charge on this legislation, with support from Blackburn and other senators including James Lankford, Susan Collins, Bernie Moreno, Kevin Cramer and Lisa Murkowski.

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At least 25 states plan to cut off food aid benefits in November

Millions of low-income Americans will lose access to food aid on Nov. 1, when half of states plan to cut off benefits due to the government shutdown.

Twenty-five statestold POLITICO that they are issuing notices informing participants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — the nation’s largest anti-hunger initiative — that they won’t receive checks next month. Those states include California, Arkansas, Hawaii, Indiana, Mississippi and New Jersey. Others didn’t respond to requests for comment in time for publication.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service recently told every state that they’d need to hold off on distributing benefits until further notice, according to multiple state agencies.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, told reporters at the state capitol Wednesday that President Donald Trump is the “first president in U.S. history to cut off SNAP benefits to people in America.”

“The state funding can’t begin to match what the federal government provides,” said Healey, whose state is also ending benefits Nov. 1.

Nutrition programs like SNAP and another one serving low-income mothers and infants have been caught in the crossfire of lawmakers’ spending negotiations, with the shutdown now in its fourth week. States are scrambling to maintain the programs using money from their own coffers and emergency funding from the Trump administration, but that pot is rapidly decreasing.

The administration would have to find more than $8 billion to keep SNAP afloat if the shutdown continues.

“We just can’t do it without the government being open,” said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in a NewsNation interview Tuesday. “By Nov. 1, we are very hopeful this government reopens and we can begin moving that money out. But right now, half the states are shut down on SNAP.”

Under SNAP, which serves more than 42 million people, families receive an average of $187.20 per month to pay for groceries. The pause in benefits would kick in just before the Thanksgiving holiday and add further strain on food banks and pantries during a typically busy season.

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Trump Citizenship Audit to Cut Section 8 Housing and Other Benefits to Illegals

While the government remains shut down because Democrats demand free healthcare for illegal immigrants, President Trump has ordered a sweeping audit of federal programs to ensure that other taxpayer-funded benefits are not being distributed to illegal aliens.

The order encompasses at least 28 major programs across multiple federal agencies. Housing audits include the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and public housing.

The Department of Health and Human Services is reviewing 13 programs, including Head Start, Community Health Centers, Medicaid, and the Title X Family Planning Program, as well as a range of behavioral health and substance abuse grants.

Nutrition and welfare initiatives such as SNAP (food stamps) and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) are also included in the audit.

In addition, the Department of Labor has been directed to verify immigration status within workforce programs such as WIOA, senior and youth job training, and migrant and seasonal worker initiatives.

The Department of Education will apply enhanced verification to Pell Grants, student loans, and career and technical education programs.

Together, these reviews represent one of the most comprehensive federal efforts to ensure that public benefits are reserved for American citizens and legal residents.

HUD Secretary Scott Turner has ordered a nationwide audit of public housing authorities, requiring them to verify the citizenship or legal immigration status of all Section 8 recipients within 30 days of receiving HUD’s notice.

The directive, issued on August 31, 2025, stems from President Trump’s February 19, 2025, Executive Order 14218, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders.”

Under the order, authorities must provide proof of citizenship or eligible immigration status, along with recipients’ names, addresses, and unit information. Failure to comply could trigger a review of HUD funding or program eligibility.

Federal law has barred illegal aliens from receiving Section 8 assistance since 1980, but Turner said the audit aims to ensure proper enforcement and prevent applicants from leaving citizenship fields blank.

He also signaled that new rules may address “mixed-status” households containing both citizens and illegal aliens. A similar effort was made during the first Trump administration in 2019 but was later reversed by the Biden administration in 2021.

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Unhinged Lunatic Swalwell Demands Democrat Candidates in 2028 Must Commit to Taking a “Wrecking Ball” to President Trump’s New Ballroom

It’s hard to find a Democrat these days who does not want to destroy everything good.

Eric Swalwell, the highly unethical Democrat Congressman from California, took to X to rage against President Trump’s amazing ballroom project in the East Wing of the White House.

Swalwell insisted that whoever the next nominee for the Democrat Party is must commit to destroying the ballroom on their first day in office.

Fox News Reported:

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said the next Democratic presidential nominee must vow to demolish President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, proposing the pledge a litmus test for the party’s 2028 contenders.

“Don’t even think of seeking the Democratic nomination for president unless you pledge to take a wrecking ball to the Trump Ballroom on DAY ONE,” Swalwell wrote on X on Saturday.

Swalwell’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for additional comment.

“For the first time in its history, the White House will have a formal ballroom, a new addition built where the East Wing once stood, a project that has become a political flashpoint as photos of the demolition fuel debate over President Trump’s mark on the historic residence.” Fox News Reported.

The plans were announced in late July by the White House.

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Government Shutdown: SNAP Is Running Out of Money, Democrats Angry Illegal Aliens No Longer Qualify

The horror stories are all over the media and social platforms, and people are panicking that those receiving taxpayer-funded groceries may soon have to work and pay for their food like everyone else. Not only is President Trump not rushing to restart food stamps, but he is also auditing the program to ensure illegal aliens are no longer receiving them.

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), formerly known as food stamps, is the federal government’s largest anti-hunger program, providing monthly food benefits to roughly 42 million low-income Americans through electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards. As of October 1, 2025, recipients receive maximum monthly SNAP allotments of $298 for one person, $546 for two people, $785 for three people, $994 for four people, $1,183 for five people, $1,421 for six people, $1,571 for seven people, and $1,789 for eight people, with an additional $218 for each additional person.

Now, SNAP is on the verge of running out of funding. Nearly 42 million recipients could lose their benefits as the federal shutdown continues. Funding for October was distributed to states before the shutdown began on October 1, but unless Congress restores appropriations, benefits will stop being issued on November 1.

In a letter dated October 10, 2025, USDA Acting Head of SNAP Ronald Ward warned, “If the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the nation.” Several states, including Texas, have already announced that SNAP benefits will be suspended if the shutdown extends past October 27.

The shutdown itself stems from Democrat refusal to fund the government unless President Trump reverses new eligibility restrictions that bar illegal aliens from federal assistance programs. Trump, meanwhile, is using the shutdown to audit and tighten oversight of every major welfare and benefit program, insisting that taxpayer funds must go only to citizens and lawful residents.

On April 24, 2025, USDA Acting Deputy Under Secretary John Walk issued guidance directing all state agencies to enhance identity and immigration verification practices when determining SNAP eligibility. States are now required to obtain more reliable documents to verify identity, prevent fraudulent use of Social Security numbers, and make greater use of the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database. USDA Secretary Rollins cited a Government Accountability Office report showing $10.5 billion in improper SNAP payments in fiscal year 2023, roughly 12 percent of total benefits that year, with inadequate verification of applicants’ identity and citizenship identified as a key problem.

In July 2025, the USDA expanded its data collection requirements, ordering states to provide five years of SNAP records, including all household members’ names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and addresses. At least 27 states have complied, turning over data that USDA is now cross-checking against DHS records through the SAVE system.

While illegal aliens are already ineligible for SNAP, many had accessed benefits through their U.S.-born children or mixed-status households, an issue the new audit aims to close.

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Governments Keep Letting AI Make Decisions & It’s Already Going Wrong

Where It’s Already Gone Wrong 

Netherlands’ childcare benefits scandal – 2021 

Automated risk profiling and aggressive enforcement mislabelled thousands of families as fraudsters. Debt payments were incorrectly demanded from genuine cases, the system was shaken, and the political fallout triggered the government’s resignation. 

Denmark’s failed welfare algorithm – 2024 to 2025 

Dozens of fraud detection models monitored benefits claimants. Rights group Amnesty International reported that the algorithms risk mass surveillance and discrimination against marginalised groups. The systems remained in use as scrutiny continued into 2025. 

France’s predictive policing backlash – 2025  

Civil society documented predictive policing deployments and called in May 2025 for an outright ban. The evidence shows hotspot forecasting and risk tools that are opaque and likely to reproduce bias. These systems are trained on historic data which sends officers back to the same neighbourhoods that may already have been over policed, while very little is done to educate the masses on how it works and there’s no credible path to appeal. 

USA expands biometric border checks – 2025  

Facial comparisons run at hundreds of airports, seaports and land borders. Opt outs apparently exist but are confusing to most, and accuracy varies by demographic with transparent figures yet to surface. Human lines reportedly move slower than automated ones, turning the convenience into indirect pressure to adhere to the new technology. 

Australia’s Robodebt fallout and new automation faults – 2023 to 2025 

A Royal Commission found the automated debt scheme unlawful and harmful. In 2025, watchdogs flagged thousands of wrongful JobSeeker cancellations tied to IT glitches in the Target Compliance Framework. Strategies were published and apologies made, yet incentives still rewarded speed over care.  

India’s ongoing biometric failures – 2025  

Biometric failures and outages have blocked rations and benefits for many. Authorities are testing facial recognition to patch fingerprint failures and vice versa, but if one biometric fails and another is layered on top, error can spread across services that depend on the same ID.

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Ex-Tennessee Rep. Robin Smith Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison in Corruption Case Plea Deal

A former state lawmaker whose testimony under a plea deal about a taxpayer-funded mail business scheme helped prosecutors land the conviction of a former Tennessee House speaker has been sentenced to eight months in prison.

Former state Rep. Robin Smith, a Republican who had pleaded guilty to one count of honest services wire fraud more than 3 1/2 years ago, said during her sentencing hearing that she had “failed the trust of the public,” the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.

“My mom and dad raised me to be much better than this,” Smith, 62, said Friday in Nashville federal court before U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson. “I ask for the forgiveness of the public.”

Smith must report to prison by Jan. 5.

As part of her March 2022 plea, Smith agreed to the “full, complete and truthful” cooperation with the federal government, the newspaper said. She testified earlier this year at the public corruption trial of former Speaker Rep. Glen Casada and his onetime chief of staff, Cade Cothren.

A jury in May found Casada guilty of 17 of 19 charges while Cothren was found guilty of all 19 counts against him. In September, Richardson acquitted Casada and Cothren of three of those counts each but let stand 14 for Casada and 16 for Cothren.

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