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.
I think it does get talked about plenty. But not to the people that need to hear and understand it. You certainly won’t hear about it on Fox News or Truth Social.
Maybe it is different in the USA. I’m German. There’s plenty of people here who can explain to you why social security is good ethically, but you have to search long and hard for somebody who is able to explain some of the reasons it’s also the smart choice economically, let alone media who will let them finish their sentence.
I pay attention to more liberal/educational media sources. This sort of subject is pretty common on, for example, National Public Radio (NPR). I’m pretty sure their popular series, Planet Money, has covered SNAP and other social support programs multiple times. I mean, just as an example: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/26/981686254/socialism-101
This sort of thing is why the Trump administration immediately pulled funding for public radio and television in the US. Can’t have people learning things that contradict their propaganda.