October 30, 2025 • 6 mins
SNAP benefits are set to expire on Saturday amid the Government Shutdown. Fox News Radio's Tonya J. Powers joins us to discuss what this means for millions of Americans.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Earlier during our trending segment, we were talking about snap benefits,
now some forty eight hours away from being canceled. The
Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins said, Hey, at least we're talking
about it. Let's do that. This is West Michigan's Morning
Newstee Kelly Bread, Makita Laurence Smith. Back soon. Tanya Jay
Powers is in New York with Fox News Radio. Tanya,
(00:22):
thanks for doing this today.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Sure, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
So if the conversation about the shutdown is now really
focused around this, we have to talk a little bit
about the numbers. Roughly forty two million Americans rely on
food stamps every month.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yes, so yeah, talk to us.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
What's the latest here, Well.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
The latest is the lawmakers still haven't come together with
some sort of plan to reopen the government. And as
this goes on, you've had some have proposed to started
proposing some of these little standalone bills that wouldn't fully
re open it, but they would you know, address some
of the things like the worry over military pay, which
(01:05):
for right now is being funded by the donation we
heard a lot about in the last week. The other
thing that's getting the most attention right now, like you said,
is snaps that is the you know, supplemental nutritional aid
program that is you know, has better known as food stamps.
And you've got some of the more the some of
the bipartisan talks that have been kind of you know,
(01:28):
ramping up at least a little bit. That's according to
Senator Lasta. Murkowski, the Republican from Alaska. She said on
Wednesday afternoon, there seem to be more bipartisan talks around
that happening, but they haven't you know, proposed anything formally.
They haven't you know, voted on anything or or taken
any action right now. It's just you know, folks in
Washington basically talking about this. The Senate Majority Leader John
(01:51):
soun Uh said, you know, this is the wrong way
to do it, the whole thing. We should just readopen
the government and approach it that way. Meanwhile, you've got
governors who have you know, said, because this is a
federal program, but it's you know, it's basically first and
run by the states. So some of these governors have said, Okay, well,
we're going to have to do something to help the
(02:13):
people in our in our states. Louisiana, New Mexico and
Vermont were the ones the latest ones yesterday that announced
to what they were going to do as kind of
a stopgap measure. Louisiana has one in five nearly one
in five people get SNAP benefits there. They've authorized one
hundred and fifty million dollars in state funding to help
(02:35):
avoid the interruption for the benefits on Saturday, that is
when you know it's expected to the first of November.
New Mexico, the governor there said they're going to provide
thirty million in emergency food assistance through those EBT cards
that the SNAP benefits are usually used through. That will
help temporarily. The folks in Vermont have proved fifteen days
(03:01):
of SNAP benefits using some of their state money and
providing about a quarter million dollars to food banks. That
goes with the different other states you've had Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota,
West Virginia. They're boosting funds to food pantries here in
New York as well as in Nevada. The Republican governor
(03:22):
there the Democratic governor here are both trying to direct
about thirty million in state funds to cover the food assistance.
That's just some of the states that have taken some action.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Tanya, I'm curious the reaction you're getting from where you're at.
And this is totally bipartisan by me. I'm just throwing
this out there to get to this point. And if
we get into the weekend where this goes into effect,
look at all of what you just stated, the time
that has been put in to plan with food pantries,
with government, with governors of their states, and whether it
(03:54):
comes to fruition or not, they had to do it right,
You have to prepare yourself. But for what you know
what I mean, that's the word that drives me crazy.
This is avoidable. This doesn't or shouldn't happen. And yet
look at all the time that's been invested into that.
I mean, that's our stories locally, is kids, food baskets,
some other food pantries having to prepare for this because
(04:14):
here we are. It's the reality. It's forty eight hours
away and you got.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
To be ready, right And I mean you mentioned locally,
I mean this is this is as local as it gets.
These are people in your neighborhood. These are people who
are listening to you right now. These are people that
you know, you know, you may not know who's on
you know, SNAP benefits and who's getting assistance from the
federal government in whatever way SNAP benefits are otherwise. According
(04:39):
to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for Michigan,
they take a look at the SNAP you know numbers
and they kind of crunch all that and from Michigan alone,
you know, one in seven Michigan ors, fifteen percent of
the state's population is receiving SNAP benefits as of the
fiscal year twenty twenty four. More than fifty nine percent
(04:59):
of those are families with children. More than thirty nine
percent our people are families rather with members who are
older adults or are disabled. For the more than forty
six percent are in working families. So I think that's
you know, it's important to keep in mind, Yeah, these
are people, you know. This is not some far flung
thing in some other country that you know, we could,
(05:19):
you know, seemingly maybe not think as much about because
it's not happening on our doorstep. But no, these are
our neighbors. These are people that we all know. You know.
It's it's one of those things where you know, you've
seen a lot of social media is full of posts
where folks are talking about. Okay, here's what the local
food pantry needs. And here's a great list of things
if you want to donate, and you know, money is
(05:41):
a great way to donate to them because they're buying
powers better than ours. And here are ten, you know,
low cost meal ideas that you can use, you know,
to you know, maybe stretch your dollar a little bit
more and make your food last long. I mean, this
is what I'm seeing online from people who are just
trying to do anything to help help out their their
fellow you know, neighbors and friends and people that you know,
(06:04):
they don't even they don't even know.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
It is tany. Jay Powers with Box News Radio in
New York, Thanks for your time today.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Sure,
Earlier during our trending segment, we were talking about snap benefits,
now some forty eight hours away from being canceled. The
Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins said, Hey, at least we're talking
about it. Let's do that. This is West Michigan's Morning
Newstee Kelly Bread, Makita Laurence Smith. Back soon. Tanya Jay
Powers is in New York with Fox News Radio. Tanya,
(00:22):
thanks for doing this today.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Sure, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
So if the conversation about the shutdown is now really
focused around this, we have to talk a little bit
about the numbers. Roughly forty two million Americans rely on
food stamps every month.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yes, so yeah, talk to us.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
What's the latest here, Well.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
The latest is the lawmakers still haven't come together with
some sort of plan to reopen the government. And as
this goes on, you've had some have proposed to started
proposing some of these little standalone bills that wouldn't fully
re open it, but they would you know, address some
of the things like the worry over military pay, which
(01:05):
for right now is being funded by the donation we
heard a lot about in the last week. The other
thing that's getting the most attention right now, like you said,
is snaps that is the you know, supplemental nutritional aid
program that is you know, has better known as food stamps.
And you've got some of the more the some of
the bipartisan talks that have been kind of you know,
(01:28):
ramping up at least a little bit. That's according to
Senator Lasta. Murkowski, the Republican from Alaska. She said on
Wednesday afternoon, there seem to be more bipartisan talks around
that happening, but they haven't you know, proposed anything formally.
They haven't you know, voted on anything or or taken
any action right now. It's just you know, folks in
Washington basically talking about this. The Senate Majority Leader John
(01:51):
soun Uh said, you know, this is the wrong way
to do it, the whole thing. We should just readopen
the government and approach it that way. Meanwhile, you've got
governors who have you know, said, because this is a
federal program, but it's you know, it's basically first and
run by the states. So some of these governors have said, Okay, well,
we're going to have to do something to help the
(02:13):
people in our in our states. Louisiana, New Mexico and
Vermont were the ones the latest ones yesterday that announced
to what they were going to do as kind of
a stopgap measure. Louisiana has one in five nearly one
in five people get SNAP benefits there. They've authorized one
hundred and fifty million dollars in state funding to help
(02:35):
avoid the interruption for the benefits on Saturday, that is
when you know it's expected to the first of November.
New Mexico, the governor there said they're going to provide
thirty million in emergency food assistance through those EBT cards
that the SNAP benefits are usually used through. That will
help temporarily. The folks in Vermont have proved fifteen days
(03:01):
of SNAP benefits using some of their state money and
providing about a quarter million dollars to food banks. That
goes with the different other states you've had Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota,
West Virginia. They're boosting funds to food pantries here in
New York as well as in Nevada. The Republican governor
(03:22):
there the Democratic governor here are both trying to direct
about thirty million in state funds to cover the food assistance.
That's just some of the states that have taken some action.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Tanya, I'm curious the reaction you're getting from where you're at.
And this is totally bipartisan by me. I'm just throwing
this out there to get to this point. And if
we get into the weekend where this goes into effect,
look at all of what you just stated, the time
that has been put in to plan with food pantries,
with government, with governors of their states, and whether it
(03:54):
comes to fruition or not, they had to do it right,
You have to prepare yourself. But for what you know
what I mean, that's the word that drives me crazy.
This is avoidable. This doesn't or shouldn't happen. And yet
look at all the time that's been invested into that.
I mean, that's our stories locally, is kids, food baskets,
some other food pantries having to prepare for this because
(04:14):
here we are. It's the reality. It's forty eight hours
away and you got.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
To be ready, right And I mean you mentioned locally,
I mean this is this is as local as it gets.
These are people in your neighborhood. These are people who
are listening to you right now. These are people that
you know, you know, you may not know who's on
you know, SNAP benefits and who's getting assistance from the
federal government in whatever way SNAP benefits are otherwise. According
(04:39):
to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for Michigan,
they take a look at the SNAP you know numbers
and they kind of crunch all that and from Michigan alone,
you know, one in seven Michigan ors, fifteen percent of
the state's population is receiving SNAP benefits as of the
fiscal year twenty twenty four. More than fifty nine percent
(04:59):
of those are families with children. More than thirty nine
percent our people are families rather with members who are
older adults or are disabled. For the more than forty
six percent are in working families. So I think that's
you know, it's important to keep in mind, Yeah, these
are people, you know. This is not some far flung
thing in some other country that you know, we could,
(05:19):
you know, seemingly maybe not think as much about because
it's not happening on our doorstep. But no, these are
our neighbors. These are people that we all know. You know.
It's it's one of those things where you know, you've
seen a lot of social media is full of posts
where folks are talking about. Okay, here's what the local
food pantry needs. And here's a great list of things
if you want to donate, and you know, money is
(05:41):
a great way to donate to them because they're buying
powers better than ours. And here are ten, you know,
low cost meal ideas that you can use, you know,
to you know, maybe stretch your dollar a little bit
more and make your food last long. I mean, this
is what I'm seeing online from people who are just
trying to do anything to help help out their their
fellow you know, neighbors and friends and people that you know,
(06:04):
they don't even they don't even know.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
It is tany. Jay Powers with Box News Radio in
New York, Thanks for your time today.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Sure,
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