logo
SNAP cuts proposal endangers Texoma food security

SNAP cuts proposal endangers Texoma food security

Yahoo15-05-2025
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Proposed snap cuts could increase food insecurity in Texoma after recent changes were made to the U.S. House Agriculture Committee's reconciliation bill.
The bill includes changes such as stricter benefits requirements, making refugees ineligible for SNAP, and mandating state payments of 5 to 25 percent for SNAP benefit amounts, which hurts the program's ability to meet increased need during natural disasters and economic crises.
Construction projects in Wichita Falls to boost economy
These measures would result in a decrease in benefit levels, fewer people eligible for food assistance and a significant reduction in the number of people participating in the program.
Wichita Falls Area Food Bank CEO David O'Neil said the SNAP cuts directly hurt the children and families on fixed incomes who are already struggling with hunger in our food bank's 12-county area.
'Out of almost 200 food banks, the Wichita Falls area food bank has the 15th highest hunger rate or food insecurity rate in the entire country. So we're at a point where it's already difficult for many, many of our neighbors to seek assistance and get help,' O'Neil said. 'But the change and the bill that's being presented, through the budget reconciliation, is going to make it even more difficult for our neighbors to be able to find food.'
According to the Urban Institute, the SNAP cost-sharing plan could push nearly 900,000 additional people into poverty during a recession.
The Feeding Texas Network is calling on members of the House Agriculture Committee and all members of the US House to reject these proposed snap cuts, which include the state cost-share plan.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

After Recent Earnings, What's the Investment Thesis for Snap Now?
After Recent Earnings, What's the Investment Thesis for Snap Now?

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

After Recent Earnings, What's the Investment Thesis for Snap Now?

Key Points Snap's slower second-quarter growth compared to its peers includes an important footnote. The company's willingness to perpetually evolve and improve its app is no minor detail. Some of these efforts will pay off. Snap is just going to need a bit of time to prove its approach is increasingly marketable. 10 stocks we like better than Snap › It's been a rough past few days for Snap (NYSE: SNAP) shareholders. The Snapchat parent's stock is trading down more than 20% since posting its second-quarter numbers last Tuesday, in fact, and still testing lower lows. The company's revenue miss clearly rattled investors. The question is, is yet another disappointing quarter enough of a reason to finally give up on Snap? Or is this stock's recent setback a chance to step into a compelling story at an even better price? Snap's second-quarter numbers Snap's Snapchat app is a social media platform, albeit a very different one than Meta Platforms' Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter). Namely, Snapchat doesn't feature a "news" feed like X and Facebook do in the center of their user interfaces. Snapchat's focus is instead on messaging and sharing pictures specifically with friends. The core business is still ultimately the same as any social media site's, though: advertising. More users and usage of the Snapchat app means more opportunities to monetize the platform. And Snap did a fair amount of business during the three-month stretch ending in June. The top line of $1.34 billion for the recently ended quarter was up 9% year over year, lifted by a 9% increase in the average number of daily users (469 million) and 7% growth in average monthly users (932 million). Most of that user growth took shape outside of Europe and North America. Although the company remains in the red with a reported net loss of $262.6 million, or $0.16 per share, free cash flow swung from a negative $73.4 million to a positive $23.8 million this time around. Problem? The analyst community was calling for a top line of $1.35 billion and a per-share loss of $0.15, matching the year-ago quarter's loss. Sales growth guidance for the third quarter (now underway) was in line with estimates, but investors also noticed that these numbers still trail those being reported by Meta and other social media companies. In addition, "an issue related to our ad platform" crimped both the top and bottom lines by underpricing Snap's ad inventory. A company as developed as Snap shouldn't face such self-created glitches. Nevertheless, this stock's subsequent setback is far more of an opportunity than an omen. (Much) more to like in the long run than not Snap's got plenty to figure out. Even while the technical glitch was temporary, it's concerning that user growth has outright stalled in North America and Europe, where average per-user revenue is highest. It's also simply not growing as briskly as its rival platforms are, and perhaps never will. As RBC Capital Markets analyst Brad Erickson noted, last quarter's numbers "will continue to reinforce the bear case that Snap cannot break out of being a smaller ad platform lacking the ability to durably grow its direct response business in line with the market." Just don't lose sight of the bigger, longer-term picture. And that picture is still pretty bullish for a handful of reasons. One of those reasons is Snap's never-ending willingness to learn from its past failures as well as past successes, and then evolve as merited. Case in point: In June, the company announced the augmented reality glasses it's been working on for a while now will be ready for launch sometime in 2026. Its first go-around with "Spectacles" back in 2016 ended up being a bit of a disaster. But those glasses were only a camera, and AR technology has come a long way since then. Undeterred by its previous flop, Snap's next shot at stand-alone hardware is a reasonable risk. In the meantime, the company's doing something far more practical by adding artificial intelligence-powered tools (including AI-generated ads) to its advertisers' toolkit. Its relatively new Sponsored "Snaps" are also producing 20% more conversions than ordinary ads. Perhaps the overarching argument for betting on beaten-down SNAP shares despite them going nowhere since their 2021/2022 rout is that Snapchat still has a long growth path ahead of it. It's difficult to quantify, or even see. But the world is growing weary of the toxicity on Facebook and X. Consumers are increasingly looking for alternative online gathering places where they're in control of what they're exposed to. They're finding less-crowded and more decentralized corners of the web on platforms like Discord, Bluesky, and yes, Snapchat. Indeed, the Snapchat app lends itself to providing what its biggest cohort of users -- the Gen Z crowd, ages 16 to 30 -- craves to the point of demanding it: advertiser authenticity. According to recent research from Target's retail media network Roundel, 73% of Gen Z regularly watch influencers' shopping videos. That's more than 40% above the average. And website hosting service provider WPEngine says 82% of Gen Z is more likely to trust a company that uses real people (like Snapchat's creators) rather than paid actors in its ads. Ads on Facebook and X tend to lack this authenticity, while Snapchat's heavily featured ads from the platform's well-followed creators is about as authentic as it gets. Focus on the long-term marketability of the business It's tough to get excited about buying into any promising business while that business's results are lackluster, and Snap's are. The stock's lingering lethargy isn't helping the bull thesis either. Just bear in mind something that Warren Buffett said long ago that still applies in the modern market environment: "If you aren't thinking about owning a stock for 10 years, don't even think about owning it for 10 minutes." Snapchat's got the right idea and formula. It's just going to take a while to prove it. It's going to take even longer for the market to fully see it. On the other hand, as other investors increasingly do see it, they'll at least start pricing in Snap's promising future. That's why it might be wiser to go ahead and wade into a position now while nobody else is thinking about doing the same. As Buffett has also said, "Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful." You can control your total risk just by adjusting the size of the Snap stake you take on. Should you buy stock in Snap right now? Before you buy stock in Snap, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Snap wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $663,630!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,115,695!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,071% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 185% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 13, 2025 James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms and Target. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. After Recent Earnings, What's the Investment Thesis for Snap Now? was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio

Walmart gives employees a generous new perk
Walmart gives employees a generous new perk

Miami Herald

time6 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

Walmart gives employees a generous new perk

Walmart, the world's largest retailer, has long been criticized for paying its employees wages so low that many must rely on public assistance programs to make ends meet. A 2020 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed that millions of full-time workers earning poverty-level wages qualify for federal benefits such as Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Walmart was among the top employers of SNAP and Medicaid recipients in the states included in the report, according to the Los Angeles Times. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Of course, many other large retail and food businesses have been found to underpay their workers, shifting the burden of supporting low-wage employees onto taxpayers. Amazon (AMZN) and McDonald's (MCD) are big organizations with significant numbers of employees who depend on assistance programs. (The U.S. Military, while not a private corporation, is another massive organization with many members who rely on government assistance.) Critics point out that taxpayers effectively subsidize employees' wages at profitable corporations, allowing these companies to maintain low labor costs while raking in substantial profits. This situation raises questions about the fairness of a system where taxpayers support corporate profits through public assistance programs. Employees and worker advocates alike have criticized Walmart, and the company is trying to improve its employees' financial well-being. The company introduced initiatives like the "Live Better U" program, which offers employees affordable education and skills training. The latest Walmart (WMT) employee perk is a 10% discount on groceries, and it's meant to ease employees' financial strain. Walmart announced on LinkedIn changes to its Walmart Associate Discount Card and will offer all U.S. employees the discount on groceries, including meat and dairy. Previously the discount was offered only during the holidays. The program applies to both full- and part-time employees. It is intended to help with the rising costs of food and household essentials affecting nearly every U.S. citizen. Related: $4 Trader Joe's bags are going viral (again), so grab one while you can Additionally, Walmart has raised its starting wages in certain locations and implemented bonuses for long-term employees. However, some worker advocates argue that these measures are insufficient and that a more comprehensive approach, including higher base wages and improved benefits, is necessary to reduce workers' dependence on public assistance. The Walmart program has plenty of critics. They point out that perks and discounts are helpful but do not replace fair compensation. Walmart's starting wages in the U.S. currently range from $15 to $17 per hour; every state has a different minimum wage. This rate is well above the federal minimum of $7.25, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, but is still often insufficient to cover the cost of living in many parts of the country, especially for employees who are supporting families. Even full-time workers at the upper end of the hourly scale may struggle with rent, health care, and child care costs, forcing them to turn to government programs to fill the gap. More Retail: Walmart CEO sounds alarm on a big problem for customersTarget makes a change that might scare Walmart, CostcoTop investor takes firm stance on troubled retail brandWalmart and Costco making major change affecting all customers The new grocery discount may provide immediate relief for Walmart employees, but it does not solve the systemic challenge of inadequate pay. Inflation and the cost of living continue to rise, so every little bit helps, and some see Walmart's move as a potential model. Others point out that perks are no substitute for a living wage. Related: Trader Joe's quietly pulls popular product, confuses fans The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.

How Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Changed Benefits for Immigrants
How Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Changed Benefits for Immigrants

Newsweek

time2 days ago

  • Newsweek

How Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Changed Benefits for Immigrants

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Debate has raged in recent months over the access immigrants get to federal benefits and how they pay into the system, with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act making some major changes to that access for some in recent weeks. With different immigrant types, from naturalized citizens to temporary visa holders, receiving different levels of access to health care, education, and financial aid, it has often been difficult to get a clear picture of the situation. On Friday, USAFacts published a breakdown of a range of common benefits, from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to Section 8 housing, as well as the duties immigrants are expected to pay into, with the aim of making the topic clearer. "When I first started this, I naively thought that this would be a little bit simpler, that there would be hard and fast rules that all government programs follow the same process of who is eligible and who is not," Amber Thomas, a senior data visualization engineer at USAFacts, told Newsweek. "It turns out it's really varied, sometimes between programs and sometimes based on immigration status. "So I've included seven different immigration statuses here. These are not all of the immigration statuses that the government recognizes. There are many, many more. But these are the ones that we decided you're most likely to hear about." What Benefits Do Immigrants Get? Under President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and other legislation introduced to Congress in recent months, some eligibility is being revoked from certain immigrant groups. "The One Big Beautiful Bill obviously covers a lot of different legislation, and within it, there was a section that recategorized who is eligible based on immigrant status for a handful of programs, and that was specifically Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program), SNAP, and marketplace subsidies," Thomas said. Some of the most notable changes are coming for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients, who had a few months of access to some Medicare programs before that was undone by recent bills. Similar changes have been made for refugees and asylees in the United States. For those interested in participating in the Head Start school readiness program, eligibility is now limited to naturalized citizens, green card holders, refugees, and asylees. Applicants with pending asylum cases, DACA, or non-tourist visas are excluded. A nurse administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a man at a clinic targeting immigrant community members in Los Angeles on March 25, 2021. A nurse administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a man at a clinic targeting immigrant community members in Los Angeles on March 25, have argued that these changes were necessary in order to prevent illegal immigrants from fraudulently using federal government benefits, but immigrant advocates have warned that thousands of people will be left without access to vital health care and other services. "Republicans in Congress have succeeded in our mission to enact President Trump's America First agenda," House Republicans said in a joint statement on July 3. "And importantly, we did it in record time, so that the effects of this nation-shaping legislation can be felt by the American people as soon as possible." While the OBBBA did make some major changes to benefits eligibility for immigrants, other restrictions also remain in effect for new green card holders, with a five-year wait time for access to Social Security, Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP, and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) benefits. How Can Immigrants Participate in Society? During the 2024 presidential election campaign, and in recent months during the passage of Trump's budget bill, concerns were raised about the duties immigrants were able to participate in and the programs they were paying into. USAFacts also unpacked some of these, clearly explaining that naturalized citizens take part in all five listed above. All immigrants pay taxes in some way, while no other category has the ability to vote in federal elections. There are also varying levels of permissions to work legally and serve in the U.S. military. One area of tension with the OBBBA has been around health care. With all immigrants paying taxes, but not all being able to access Medicare, advocates have repeatedly argued that this is unfair. "We shouldn't be kicking millions of people off Medicaid and denying lifesaving care to fund the Trump administration's extreme deportation machine," Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer with the ACLU, said in a press release in June. "The American people did not vote for this. We will make sure that constituents remember the catastrophic harm this bill does and hold lawmakers accountable." Some of the policies are yet to take effect, with health access revoked in stages: in October 2026 and then in January 2027. Those using SNAP will likely see the changes take effect when they next try to verify their status.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store