President Trump's ‘One Big Beautiful Bill' raising concerns about future of SNAP benefits and food insecurity
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are one step closer to making President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' federal law.
'It's going to impact farmers, grocery store owners, and really all around it's going to impact a lot of folks,' said Austin Prickett.
Austin Prickett is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
Governor Stitt quietly signs several Education bills
Prickett says rural communities will feel the biggest punch if the legislation is passed.
'They have less resources. It's harder to get to food, it's harder to get to a grocery store. This proposal will put the state on the hook for around $200 million per year to fund these programs,' said Prickett.
The legislation would cut federal spending on SNAP benefits, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act, all part of President Trump's efforts to lower taxes for Americans.
Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus on Children, an advocacy organization, says the bill poses a threat to struggling families and the success of children.
'Wealthy kids will be fine because they're going to get their full child tax credit. But for low-income kids, they will either qualify for only partial or no credit, and they also may lose other benefits like their nutrition and health care benefits,' Lesley said.
Oklahoma DHS sent a statement to News 4 about their plans moving forward.
Oklahoma Human Services is working with our partners to learn more about any potential effects on our programs. We will continue to communicate with partners and clients as we learn more.
Oklahoma Human Services
If the bill passes the Senate, it will then go to President Trump for final approval.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Is it legal to run over protesters in Florida? How to stay safe at 'No Kings' protests
Anyone protesting in Florida may want to keep an eye on traffic. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Floridians have the right to hit protesters with their car if they felt threatened, and state and local officials said "rioting" could bring jail time, or even death. The governor's comments came ahead of "No Kings" protests planned in nearly 80 cities in Florida on June 14, part of almost 2,000 to be held across the country for Americans objecting to President Donald Trump's policies and the escalating immigration raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The protests are scheduled to counter Trump's planned massive military parade in Washington, D.C. "We also have a policy that if you're driving on one of those streets and a mob comes and surrounds your vehicle and threatens you, you have a right to flee for your safety," DeSantis said on The Rubin Report on June 11, "and so if you drive off, and you hit one of these people, that's their fault for impinging on you. "You don't have to sit there and just be a sitting duck and let the mob grab you out of your car and drag you through the streets. You have a right to defend yourself in Florida," he said. In a Fox News interview, DeSantis said local police, county sheriffs, Highway Patrol and even the National Guard will be ready to stop any violence or 'unrest' at the statewide protests. 'It's a bad decision to try to pull that nonsense in Florida,' DeSantis said. Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey was even more direct. "If you throw a brick, a fire bomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains, because we will kill you, graveyard dead," he said at a press conference with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and other lawmakers. If you plan to attend or participate in a protest in Florida, here's what you should know. Florida law does not specifically say people can drive into crowds. But it does provide civil (not criminal) immunity by allowing anyone charged with causing property damage, personal injury or even death to plead self-defense because their actions "arose from" someone "acting in furtherance of a riot." Self-defense is what James Alex Fields Jr. claimed when he was found guilty of murder in 2017 for driving into a protest, hitting and killing civil rights activist Heather Heyer while she was counterprotesting the white nationalist Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville. Between May and October 2020, there were over 100 incidents of drivers driving into crowds of protesters, and at least eight of them were in Florida, reported. In May 2020, a Georgia man drove his pickup into a crowd of marchers protesting the death of George Floyd. No criminal charges were filed. DeSantis signed a sweeping "anti-riot" bill in 2021 in the wake of the George Floyd protests to increase punishments for people who violently riot, loot and destroy properties and add several new crimes including "mob intimidation" and "aggravated rioting," calling it the "strongest anti-rioting, most pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country." HB 1 was blocked in the courts for being potentially unconstitutional, chilling against free speech, and overly vague about what defines a "riot." The Florida Supreme Court ruled in favor of the new law in 2024, clarifying peaceful protesters should not be arrested if involved in a protest where violence occurs, and an appeals court allowed the state to enforce it. Protesters are not permitted to willfully obstruct the "free, convenient, and normal use" of any public street, highway, or road. Gatherings of three or more people to commit a break of the peace or commit unlawful acts are considered unlawful assemblies, a second-degree misdemeanor. Knowingly protesting within 500 feet of a residence, cemetery, funeral home, house of worship, or other location when a funeral or burial has just occurred, will occur soon, or is occurring is a first-degree midemeanor. A riot is defined as a violent public disturbance involving three or more people acting to assist each other in violent and disorderly conduct. It is a third-degree felony. Aggravated rioting, a second-degree felony, is a riot consisting of 25 or more people where great bodily harm or property damage is caused, someone displays or uses a deadly weapon, or blocks safe movement of a vehicle by force or threat of force. Inciting a riot is a third-degree felony. Aggravated inciting a riot, a second-degree felony, occurs if the suspect incites a riot resulting in great bodily harm to a non-participant, property damage in excess of $5,000, or supplies a deadly weapon to another person or teaches them how to prepare one for use in a riot. Committing assault in furtherance of a riot is a first-degree misdemeanor; an aggravated assault is a third-degree felony. Burglary during a riot is a first-degree felony. Any group of three or more who act with common intent to use force or threaten to in order to compel someone else into changing a personal viewpoint against their will commits "mob intimidation," a first-degree misdemeanor. Battery against a law enforcement officer in a riot means a minimum term of six months in jail. Defacing or damaging a memorial or historical property worth more than $200 is a third-degree felony. Destroying one is a second-degree felony. Defendants who cause personal injury, wrongful death or property damage to protesters in a riot may claim self-defense. The law "does not prohibit constitutionally protected activity, such as a peaceful protest," according to Florida statutes. First and foremost, the "No Kings" website tells participants not to bring any weapons, act in accordance with local laws, and de-escalate any potential confrontation with law enforcement or anti-protesters. Public protests are protected in the United States by the First Amendment and are legal in public areas providing you are not blocking car or pedestrian traffic or blocking access to government buildings. That said, law enforcement may interpret your intentions differently and some may act with force. The Human Rights Campaign advises protesters to scope out the area of the protest ahead of time and identify multiple routes out of the area. An offline-accessible map can help. During the protest, remain aware of your surroundings and what's happening around you. Protest signs and sunscreen are just the beginning. Experts at Physicians for Human Rights suggest bringing the following: Backpack or string bag: You won't want anything bulky and you'll want your hands free. Face mask or bandanna, hat and sunglasses: Useful for helping to shield your eyes from pepper spray or tear gas, can also protect you from identification by law enforcement or online doxxing if that's a concern. Water: Stay hydrated. Bring as big a bottle as you can, with a squirt top in case you need to quickly wash off your skin or eyes. Glasses: Avoid wearing contact lenses, which can trap irritating chemicals. If you must wear contacts, wear shatter-resistant goggles with a tight seal. Avoid wearing makeup. Comfortable clothes, closed shoes: Pick neutral colors without obvious slogans or easily identifiable markings. 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According to the No Kings website, more than 75 protests (including several in some cities) are planned across Florida as of June 10. ➤ Find an event near you Apalachicola Apopka Boca Raton Boynton Beach Bronson Casselberry Clermont Center Lake Park Clermont City Hall Clermont Town Cocoa Coral Springs Davenport Daytona Beach DeLand Delray Beach Ellenton Englewood Fernandina Beach Fort Lauderdale Fort Myers Fort Walton Beach Gainesville Hollywood Inverness Jacksonville Duval County Courthouse Beach Boulevard and Hodges Boulevard Key Largo Key West Kissimmee Lakeland Lake Mary Lake Worth Beach Largo Leesburg Marathon Miami Miami Beach Mount Dora Naples New Port Richey New Smyrna Beach Ocala Orlando Orange City Orange Park Palatka Palm Bay Palm Beach/Mar-a-Largo Palm Beach Gardens Palm Coast Palm Harbor Panama City Pensacola Ninth Avenue/Airport Boulevard The Graffiti Bridge Plant City Poinciana Port Charlotte Port St. Joe Port St. Lucie Riverview Sarasota University Parkway J.D. 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"It is kind of a double-edged sword," Ira Mehlman, media director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) told Newsweek. FAIR advocates for a more restrictionist immigration policy. "Yes, it does send money back to people in the home countries, but it also becomes a dependency. If you're going to be sending your best workers out of the country to work in another country and then wait for the money to come back, it impedes the development that needs to happen in those countries." Mehlman said FAIR also has concerns that payments are making their way back to cartels and other organized crime groups, while American companies are getting away with employing those without legal status, enabling a cheaper workforce that is detrimental to U.S. citizens as well as immigrants with work authorization. While there is widespread agreement that stopping payments to criminal organizations is necessary, both Bledsoe and Ruiz Soto cautioned against introducing tougher rules on remittance payments. They say this could have an adverse effect on illegal immigration, predicting that, should remittances be cut off from low- and medium-income countries, then more people may look to make the journey to the U.S. "Because the migrant is already here, sending money back, it means that the family of that migrant isn't in the United States," Bledose said. "So it is preventing migration on some level." Ruiz Soto added that "by filling the void of government investment and development, remittances reduce the economic pressures for many people to emigrate irregularly over the long term." Mehlman said Congress could act to introduce stricter measures, as it is looking to do with the tax on remittances, while Ruiz Soto said more security measures to track the funds being sent abroad could be introduced in an attempt to root out abuse. Related Articles Migrants From Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela Told To Self-DeportLA Taco Chain Closes 15 Locations Amid ICE CrackdownWorld Cup Boat Party Canceled After DHS, Coast Guard OperationNew Jersey ICE Escapees: What We Know 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
