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.”
This was somewhat epiphanic for me.
I already recognized companies such as Walmart were subsidizing pay through social programs such as SNAP and essential funneling/laundering tax payer money to their executives.
This headline made me further realize they’re not only making taxpayers subsidize wages, they’ve also effectively turned the USD into a form of company scrip. While that scrip can be spent at some other locations I bet a large percent of funneled right back to e.g. Walmart itself. If you already work at Walmart it makes spending your SNAP benefit there easier.
Poor Walmart 😢 how will they survive
Maybe a massive no-strings-attached nonrefundable bailout after a
sacrificea gift is presented by the Walmart family to the king of the country.
Even more if a large portion of its customers starve to death.
GOOD! Fuck the family monopolizing the true message he originally had!!! They’re all fucking trash so honestly fuck Walmart!!!
Everyone loses here though. Walmart will only lose money because people can’t spend their SNAP money there and it’s not like they’ll be spending it at more ethical stores.
Tell that to the “original ‘Walmart’ family” before they sold out and tell that to Drumpf who told us that prices would be lower ON DAY ONE and NOTHING is true. Food prices are still high, no checks of $5k nor recently $2k plus eggs are still grossly high and gas prices are not nearly what he said….
I dunno why it says “If SNAP goes dark” becuase it already did go dark. It’s already been a week woth no payments and it looks like nothing is going to change that. SNAP has already “gone dark”.
The article is from Oct 29. I doubt the SNAP situation is news to many on the fediverse. I shared it more so because A) What a tone deaf headline, and B) To share the epiphany it caused me.
judges are forcing the USDA to pay snap this month… latest ruling was by today.
it’s not dark yetJudge says something.
Trump admin says “no lol”
naive oversimplification
Is it? What is the more nuanced view?
the USDA is operated by thousands of people, the head is appointed by trump.
if the head of the usda is facing jail for contempt vs maybe getting fired, he’ll fund snap.
and that’s exactly what happened today, ebt was funded. trump is appealing but the money is there.
my state funded it and was waiting for a commitment by the usda, apparently they got it.
trump and his administration have complied with other court orders, they’ve defied some… but they eventually give in when appeals run out.
a big part of the shutdown is that they’ve slipped in legislation to strip judges of their powers to enforce their orders… such as nationwide injunctions, holding people in contempt, and sending federal marshals out to arrest people in contempt of court… they currently still have those powers.
it’s quite complicated.Was it the head of the USDA withholding funds? I was under the impression that the administration said there were no funds, and then there was no way to release the funds, and then that it would be too complex to do so with any expediency.
Why are they appealing the ruling, do you think?
The head of the USDA does what Trump says or she gets fired… but she’s still the one with direct control.
The USDA already has a contingency fund, for this very sort of thing. They were refusing to fund SNAP until a judge forced them too…. they had this money set aside before the government shutdown, and December is still uncertain.
Why they’re appealing it is, id assume, what they’ve been saying about hating all social safety net type programs, and really it’s about rich people paying taxes….
they’re vindictive enough to use any opportunity to fuck with any program as much as they can get away with…
Trump administration: “Good! Maybe some of those poors will die and save us the trouble of removing their tents!” [roflol]
The only naive oversimplification here is believing that when the USDA is ordered to do something by a judge that means Trump automatically does it.
Snap is dark. There was a court order to turn on the lights. Those lights have not turned on yet. Don’t be pedantic if you can’t bring the receipts.
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Sounds pretty accurate to me.
It’s not. This has literally been government policy for 2025.
they have defied and appealed rulings, some have been upheld and complied with….
what you’re talking about is what they want to do and one reason why the government is shut down right now.
Is it? SNAP hasn’t been paid to anyone yet.
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Some states were able to use some state funds to pay some SNAP recipients. My family hasn’t gotten anything at all in NY state.
But that is exactly what is happening. They are ignoring the courts.
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No state has received full funding for their snap/ebt as of this morning. Some funds are being released by the federal government to states but not fully, not uniformly, and with serious delay. I can’t find any credible evidence that anyone has definitely received their full November benefits as scheduled. In fact, the USDA has told states they can’t fund the cards and then be reimbursed by the federal government under current rules and the USDA has stated, as of this morning, that they will not fully fund benefits due to the shutdown.
I don’t believe you are telling the truth.
https://www.google.com/search?q=oregon+ebt+paid+today
i think you have too much faith in your own ability to research things.
https://www.newsweek.com/snap-tracker-states-that-have-paid-benefits-november-11010336
Only 8 states have been funded…and as quoted in the article, “although it remains unclear when full benefits will be paid and where the funding will come from”.
So no, it isn’t clear at all if it is being federally funded, or if the states are banking on getting paid back.
So please refrain from sounding like “I got mine so fuck off”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/07/usda-tells-states-snap-benefits-shutdown-00642403
nice way to rephrase what i’m saying into something selfish when all that i’m saying is you’re arrogantly wrong….
you went from “none never” to “only 8 have been funded so far”.
yeah they’re all funded each state has to figure out how to handle that because it’s state implemented
SCOTUS already overturned it
no they didn’tIt’s literally all over the news: https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-administration-asks-appeals-court-promptly-halt-ruling/story?id=127294307
yep, i saw that and: fuck… fucking fucks….
seems like some will still be funded?
Happy Thanksgiving, btw
“it’s not dark yet”
Tell that to the people without food.
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So odd seeing libs talk you down in this thread, and not do basic research.
I haven’t really been following all of this because I don’t need SNAP (yet), but it seems like it’s not hard to figure this out with Google.
Hopefully more states figure out how to allocate the USDA’s emergency funds before more people starve.
it’s doomer stuff i think… they can only scream about how horrible everything is.
if anything good happens, no it didn’t.
that or bots.
seems like a bot thing to not have live google access
Justice Department announced they are appealing, so who knows?
Imagine being the one who appeals poor people eating. I hope they fucking rot (the justice dept)
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Never call it a good day while the sun is still up.
Don’t count your chickens until they hatch. Or in this case, don’t count your SNAP until it’s actually in your pocket.
it’s in my pocket right now. it was fully funded today.
Awesome I’m happy for you and everybody else who needs it
I’m truly shocked that they actually paid. That’s some good news. I’m glad the people in need are getting when we owe them.
My mothers has not been paid nor is pending. Some states used state funding to pay out, most have not.
Yeah I’m always saddened to see anecdotal “it works for me” or “it doesn’t work for me” comments about something like this, where it’s super complex and until we know the rules are in place and enforced, we should assume it is not working for those who need it.
me too… next month is still scary
Oh yes this administration has such respect.
read the news, the usda paid up today
California is paying full SNAP benefits starting this morning. California cares. Trump, Mike Johnson, and The entire GOP couldn’t give less fucks about anyone else.
It’s the Democrats fault because they won’t cancel health care so we have to cancel food assistance - every republican I know
That’s also not including the increased shrinkage and turnover costs to Walmart
As their own workers get desperate, they’ll have to choose between going hungry and risking their job. Many will justifiably choose to steal, increasing shrinkage. Some will, inevitably, be caught increasing turnover. Both will cost Walmart
On the other hand, Walmart may see a boon as shoppers who typically spent their SNAP benefits at other stores go to Walmart with the little bit they have left due to the perceived cost savings
Walmart makes 20bn a year on the poorest of people in the country, so yeah, they can assume those are all-you-can-eat stores.
Walmart sounds like a real freeloader. From low-paid employees with little or no benefits needing public welfare to get by and then catering to those same kinds of people on government assistance for shopping.
they don’t need the welfare to get by, but supply/demand and economies of scale, if their sales volume drops, their prices certainly won’t be rolling back to make up for it. They will be laying off more workers, automating more positions, and raising prices. They didn’t make the system, but they definitely positioned themselves to take advantage of it.
Yeah it’s almost like they underpay their employees so they can get them on snap and capture their snap benefits. Mostly employees would probably shop at Walmart to save time.
Probably more. Their starving employees will be stealing food from them to survive.
If you see someone stealing food; No, you didn’t.
Honestly, I’m at a point where if I see someone stealing anything from a large corporation, no the fuck I didn’t.
You have a moral obligation to create a diversion.
Yeah, run over a CEO as diversion.
I have, but no I didn’t.
employees on snap
Oh I’m sure we’re all really sad for Walmart. My toilets and papers go out to the Waltons.
Fuck articles like this. Walmart fucks over people all the time. They’re part of the problem. There are people out there who are scrambling to get food. I couldn’t give even the smallest of fucks for Walmart.
Further it isn’t a “loss”, it’s projected revenue that they’re not getting. I’m not losing money if I don’t work, I just simply don’t earn it.
Gods know the Waltons don’t earn their money.
I view this less as a sympathetic article and more like a slice of schadenfreude pie.
Big corporations aren’t coming out unscathed from this. The big CEOs of today are under the impression that they’re as untouchable as 18th century French aristocracy. But they actually rely on consumer profits. Love watching reality slap them in the face as they attempt to get off scotfree while the country burns down around them. No honey, you live there too hahaha
I don’t see the schadenfreude. The article is very matter-of-fact, and focuses entirely on Walmart itself. In this particular case I think the schadenfreude would be too bitter anyway, on account of all the people who are suffering because of this.
It’s not “low income groups will go without food” it’s “low income groups will not spend as much” and that’s about the only consideration that particular population gets.
I grew up a povvo bitch, granted in a country where that sort of thing doesn’t hit as hard. We have social security nets, and every school has free lunches for kids. Even so, I was acutely aware of the situation from a very young age, and the stress of “do we pay the bills or do we have food to eat” is not a fun one. Even today I’m still plagued by the habits and worries formed back then.
No one should have to live under such circumstances.
Interesting how this billionaire family is making so much money off food stamps.
A sad day when corporate greed aligns with people’s needs. Welcome to new amerika.
Trump might have just dog walked himself into something good 😂. It never fails. He fucks things up so bad that the economy collapses and cost of living goes down.
Lose. Lol
CEOs should do to Trump what the Roman senators did to Julius Caesar.
This was somewhat epiphanic for me.
Think of US politics as a business moving large amounts of money around in a capitalist society then things start making sense.
