Catherine Rampell: The USDA sent an email to grocery stores telling them they are prohibited from offering special

[In It to Win It]

The USDA sent an email to grocery stores telling them they are prohibited from offering special discounts to customers affected by the SNAP funding lapse.
I'm aware of at least 2 stores that had offered struggling customers a discount, then withdrew it after receiving this email

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) 2025-11-02T19:01:03.424Z

Understandable why grocery stores might be scared off. A store caught violating the prohibition could be denied ability to accept SNAP benefits in the future. In low-inc areas where SNAP shutdown will have biggest impact, getting thrown off SNAP could mean a store is no longer financially viable.

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) 2025-11-02T19:01:03.425Z

Meanwhile USDA Sec Rollins is trying to change the subject —the subject being Trump's decision to withhold food aid from 40M people—by claiming the admin is focused on rooting out SNAP fraud.
To be fair, no one can fraudulently receive benefits if no one receives benefits, period

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) 2025-11-02T19:20:01.488Z

A reverse Blackstone's ratio

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) 2025-11-02T19:29:28.836Z

[Klarkashton]

1. Small govt republicans.

[TheRickles]

19. Who believe in the sanctity of the free market.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Rollins has not shown evidence of "massive fraud" and the responding states are mostly red, where we'd expect fraud. .nt

[Diamond_Dog]

3. If Rethugs want to root out corruption and fraud

They should start with the guy in the White House.

[Goonch]

4. ;-{)

[marble falls]

5. They can offer dicounts to whoever they want. Fuck that e-mail.

[WmChris]

27. Shouldn't apply

No SNAP benefits = no SNAP oversight.

[sheshe2]

6. There is so much BS in Brookes statement.

— (@dbnewtondoors.bsky.social) 2025-11-02T17:01:29.100Z

[Vinca]

7. So much for free enterprise. Do we get dictator-run grocery stores next?

[erronis]

10. We've all seen pictures of the soviet grocery store shelves.

Empty.

And then the shots of the high-end stores for the "connected".

[Attilatheblond]

25. Sorta like here in Trump 1.O + Covid

[Vinca]

34. Ever since he was sworn in again, I've been trying to keep myself from hoarding toilet paper.

I'm not being funny - totally serious. If anyone can empty supermarket shelves, it's Trump.

[spanone]

8. So much bullshit from this mal-admiistration..

[EarthAbides]

9. 42 million people...

are on Food Stamps. Let's say the average person/family gets $100/month... (It's probably more)

That's a half of a billion dollars. That's a whole lot of money to wipe out of the economy. Leading me to conclude that the fascist pig, Krasnov, wants the economy to collapse.

[littlemissmartypants]

13. Highly likely. It would probably be easier to steal everything out of the Treasury then.

[Mblaze]

22. I think that it is $350 per month

About $12.00 a day.

[Attilatheblond]

24. And since protests have all been peaceful, he wants people hungry enough to start food riots

so he can give the order to fire at will and mow down people just to make himself feel powerful, for a minute or two.

[Wiz Imp]

28. From USDA website: The average SNAP household received a monthly benefit of $332. That's $177 per person based on the

average SNAP household size of 1.9 people.

Households with children received a larger average monthly benefit of $574 due to the larger average household size of 3.3 people. The average benefit per person for these households was $174.

Most SNAP households lived in poverty. Seventy-three percent had a gross monthly income at or below 100% of the poverty level.

Most SNAP benefits go to the poorest households. Eighty-six percent of all SNAP benefits go to households with gross monthly income at or below the poverty level and 51% of benefits go to those with gross monthly income at or below 50% of the poverty level. In contrast, 27% of households with a gross monthly income above the poverty level received 14% of all benefits.

When added to households’ gross incomes, SNAP benefits raised the incomes of 17% of SNAP households above the poverty level. Pandemic-related supplemental benefits, known as emergency allotments, raised the incomes of an additional 13% of households above the poverty level. When including both SNAP benefits and emergency allotments, the percentage of SNAP households living above the poverty level increased from 27% to 57%.

About 39% of SNAP participants were children, 20% were elderly, and 10% were nonelderly individuals with a disability.

Social Security was the most common source of income among SNAP households. Thirty-three percent of SNAP households received Social Security benefits (an average of $1,096 monthly).

Earnings from work and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) were the next most common sources of income. Twenty-eight percent of households had earnings (an average of $1,548 monthly) and 23% of households received SSI benefits (an average of $723 monthly).

General Assistance (GA) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits were less common sources of income. About 4% of SNAP households received GA (an average of $380 monthly) and 3% received TANF benefits (an average of $573 monthly).

https://www.fns.usda.gov/research/snap/characteristics-fy23

[Harker]

11. An "equal treatment waiver"?

Like the one Trumpsky thinks he has?

[littlemissmartypants]

12. Blackstone's ratio

It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.

She's* saying reverse that concept.

*Catherine Rampell

[KS Toronado]

14. The right always says "illegal aliens" in the same sentence as "Liberals"

[LymphocyteLover]

15. PURE EVIL

[Botany]

16. The cruelty is the point. End of story. They want to make people suffer.

BTW a private business can sell its goods or hire out its services for any price they want
to set it at.

[electric_blue68]

17. Oh, Eff Off!

😬😬

[Deminpenn]

18. Rollins should know about waste, fraud and abuse since it's the governing philosophy

of the Trump administration in which she serves.

[Mblaze]

20. The Trump administration

works hard to enforce the not-free market. Their opinion that "the fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy" defines their demand.

[Joinfortmill]

21. These people are mean as snakes.

[Mblaze]

23. 25 cents out of every SNAP dollar ends up in the pockets of our farmers.

First Trump took away the $2 billion farmers got from sales to USAID and now they want to take the $25 billion that farmers get from SNAP purchases. Trump deported their farm and ranch workers. Argentina selling soybeans to China hurts American farmers and Trump importing Argentine beef is going to hurt American ranchers. Maybe farmers and ranchers will eventually get "woke" and vote Republicans out.

[WmChris]

26. Shouldn't apply

There isn't currently a SNAP program so no Snap No oversight.

[GoodRaisin]

29. Republicans vote for "Small government".

What fucking nonsense.

[Marthe48]

30. If people rely on SNAP but need to pay cash because the fascists won't release

the government or the funds, then the stores can give them specials. We're still a free-market economy.
Are the fascists going to arrest me if I donate food or cash to a pantry? Are they going to storm the pantries and drag the volunteers to jail?

[allegorical oracle]

31. Like many on DU have said before: This administration wants poor, elderly, and

disabled people to just go away -- emigrate or die. The good Christians don't believe needy people should eat if they don't have a job or work in some fashion. Hope they rot in Hades.

[Joinfortmill]

32. How the hell are the gonna monitor that? Strange.

[IcyPeas]

33. Wasn't a woman recently arrested for buying ingredients to make cookies ...

with food stamps and then selling the cookies to earn a little cash?

That's considered FRAUD???

[flvegan]

35. Looks like Mar A Lago Face: Phase One has started with this "person"

Her record is against animal welfare in any form. Tells me all I need to know about her.

[choie]

36. Another chapter in the

"cruelty is the point" manifesto.

[returnee]

37. That cannot be legal.

But it certainly is intimidating.

[Prairie_Seagull]

38. This need to see the inside of a few courtrooms.

First however there needs to be standing. Some store needs to be affected by showing humanistic courage. When affected, a stay would be clearly on the table while being adjudicated.

Longer term benefit to business for having done it.

IMO.

Easy for me to say.

Avoided law school.