Welcome to Friday Financial Focus!
Each week, we bring you a round-up of the headlines that impact your bottom line. Some you may have heard about, and others may have gotten buried in the chaos of the week. Either way, they all matter when it comes to managing your money!
A friendly reminder that we have 2 upcoming classes this month. Join us on Tuesday, October 21, for the Scorpio Resource Forecast Workshop, where we dive deep into the energies of this solar season to heal Money Wounds and protect our shared resources.
If you are in the Rhode Island area, you can also find us at 2 (very rare) in-person events next week! On Friday, we'll be set up on Reader's Row at The Halloween Market. Then on Saturday, we are offering free tarot readings in support of Nora's Haven's silent disco gala. We look forward to seeing you there!
Distilling all of the current events into a single newsletter is impossible, so be sure to follow us on Bluesky. Join our Patreon community for financial history and resistory stories that inform and inspire, along with astrological and tarot support for the month. There are 3 paid tiers and a free level with limited posts - something is accessible for everyone!
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This Week's Financial Focus
We're in Day 17 of the Republican-led government shutdown shitshow with no sign of movement... yet. You can read about the astrology and history of this event on our Substack post, "A MAGA-nificent Sh๐ฉtshow", as well as our thoughts on how long it could last.
This week, we're taking a look at some of the ripple effects of this shutdown and how they are impacting the most vulnerable among us.
By now, folks are starting to feel the effects of this very intentional governmental collapse. Add into that the earlier DOGE decimation, and people might finally understand that the U.S. government and its legion of federal workers do more to support their lives than realized.
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Oh, SNAP!
42 million low-income Americans are at risk of not receiving their SNAP benefits next month unless the Evil Keebler Elf recalls his GOP reps back to the House and works to reopen the government. These folks are already facing food insecurity; SNAP just helps them survive.
Additionally, 6.7 million recipients of WIC, or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, are also at risk of losing essential aid such as nutrition, support resources, and healthcare referrals due to the funding lapse.
BACKGROUND: SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a need-based federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides financial assistance to purchase groceries. It began in 1939, and you may more commonly know it as "food stamps" or "Electronic Benefit Transfer" (EBT).
Although it is funded by the federal government, recipients must apply through their state SNAP office, all of which have differing procedures. The state and federal governments split the administration costs, but the state maintains the records of recipients.
WIC began in 1972 as an amendment to the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, and became a permanent program in 1975. The program provides support for low-income people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and children up to age 5. WIC serves 53% of U.S. infants.
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Eat the Rich
HOW IT WORKS: SNAP has a very strict limit on who qualifies. Gross income can be no more than 130% of the federal poverty line, and net monthly income must be at or below the poverty line. Household assets, including cash, cannot exceed $3,000, with a few exceptions raising that to $4,500.
There are also work requirements for SNAP, which just increased this summer's passage of the One Big Bunch of Bullshit Bill. Congress increased the age cap from 54 to 65, reduced the exceptions for childcare, and eliminated exceptions for veterans and other vulnerable groups. All "able-bodied" persons who meet that criteria must work or volunteer 80 hours per month, or be enrolled in school or a job training program, in order to receive benefits.
There are further limitations on how and where SNAP funds can be spent. Major grocery retailers, many farmer's markets, and some online retailers accept SNAP. It can be used to purchase most ingredients or packaged food, but cannot be used to buy alcohol, cigarettes, vitamins, supplements, or non-food items. Oddly, they cannot be used to purchase hot food, like takeaway rotisserie chicken from the deli.
WIC has slightly more room for eligibility, with an income cap of 185% of the federal poverty line. This means those who qualify for SNAP will also likely qualify for WIC from an income standpoint. For those who receive both forms of assistance, this shutdown is dealing a double-dose of pain.
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Intentional Pain
THE ISSUES: That pain is intentional. SNAP is not an entitlement program like Medicare or Social Security, so it must be funded by Congress every fiscal year. The same is true for WIC. That fiscal year ended on September 30, 2025, and without a new budget, SNAP, WIC, and nearly every other government agency and program is left to run on whatever funds it has remaining.
SNAP had enough remaining money to process October fund distribution, but it will not have enough for November. Therefore, some or all 42 million recipients will either receive delayed, partial, or no benefits that month. Even if funding is restored and backdated, you cannot backpay food. This very vulnerable population needs that assistance now.
There has been discussion of states paying for SNAP distribution from their own funds and then receiving reimbursement from the federal government once a budget has been passed, but that is not confirmed, and the practicality would also vary from state to state.
WIC was operating on a $150 million contingency budget that would have run out in early October, but after public pressure, the regime announced it would use $300 million in unused tariff revenue to fund the program through the end of October. So generous, right?
Not exactly. The 2026 federal budget included a $291 million cut to WIC as part of the $163 billion proposed cuts to non-defense discretionary spending. The proposal also included cuts the cash value benefit (CVB) that recipients can use to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. That monthly allotment is currently $26 for children and $47-52 for adults, but the proposed budget would drop it to $10 for children and $13 for adults - per month. Cruelty is the point.
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Project Insight Requires Insight
THE CATCH: SNAP is also at the center of a privacy lawsuit against the USDA. Remember that while the federal government distributes SNAP funds to the states, it is the states themselves that actually administer the program. They distribute those funds to recipients and therefore hold all the sensitive data. States have previously submitted aggregated and anonymized data for the purposes of audits, but the personally identifiable information of recipients was never included.
To the surprise of no one who has been paying attention, this regime demanded via executive order that states turn over their recipients' private data going back to 2020: names, birthdates, SSNs, addresses, and benefit amounts. They threatened to withhold federal administrative funding for the states that refused to comply, meaning states would then need to cover 100% of the previously shared administrative costs for the program.
The regime claims this data is required to further their mission of "identifying and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse," but have refused to say how exactly the data will be used and with whom it will be shared. This SNAP demand comes on the heels of similar demands for state voting rolls, and the decision by federal health agencies to share sensitive personal health information with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Yes, they got sued for that, too.
Why does the federal government feel entitled to all of this personal data? How or if we vote, our health records, our income and assistance needs, and so much more? "Waste, fraud, and abuse," our ass!
It's giving Project Insight and that is not a tin-hat conspiracy theory. Palantir, the creepy AI-powered surveillance and warfare company owned by the perpetually-moist and equally creepy antichrist-obsessed Peter Thiel was awarded a $10 billion dollar Army software and data contact to "prepare for threats." Let's take a moment to remember who this regime has labeled a threat.
21 states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit and refused to share their data, an act that was upheld by federal courts that granted a temporary injunction on enforcement and withholding of funds. However, 27 states have already handed over their records, some of which include more than the minimum amount of information requested. Yes, most of those states are Republican-led, although North Carolina has a Democratic governor. Et tu, Josh Stein??
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Big Brother is Watching
WHY IT MATTERS: While a number of factors are involved in the actual benefits calculation, SNAP pays an average of $6 per day to Rhode Island recipients, with similar benefits elsewhere. It is meant to be, as the name states, a supplement, not a substitute. To the 42 million people, or 13% of the U.S. population, receiving SNAP, that $6 could be the difference between eating or going without, especially given the strict limitation on financial assets.
As this regime continues its march towards an authoritarian surveillance state, every single one of us is at risk for the repercussions of this unchecked invasion of privacy. For now, much of this information is being used by ICE to target immigrants, with masked, unidentified, alleged agents showing up at medical facilities, schools, homes, and court hearings. What happens to the rest of us when the Temu Taliban needs a new target?
We should all care about this assault of due process and human rights from the simple standpoint of decency and democracy, but for those that need an extra push, know this: we are ALL on a list. Just because they have not yet gotten to your name, that doesn't mean you are "safe." Who will be left to speak up for you by the time that comes?
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Come Together
WHAT YOU CAN DO: If you are in a position to make a difference, check in with local food banks to see how well-stocked they are and what needs may exist. This time of year is especially draining on their resources, so they could use extra support, especially with baby formula and non-food essentials.
Food banks may have specific items they cannot store, or have a dearth of high-demand items, so it's important to check with them first. Feeding America has some helpful guidance on what donations are useful and which ones are prohibited.
If you are one of the people who are in need of assistance, begin researching food bank programs in your area and see what their process is for receiving assistance. Communities are being called to come together more now, so you may find there are neighbors willing and able to help. We're at the end of the growing season in most places, but community gardens may also offer support.
Asking for help is sometimes the hardest part, especially if you've asked before and been denied or derided. This reminds us of the Five of Pentacles card in tarot, where two people in need stand in the cold outside a brightly lit church. The card can be interpreted in a few ways, but we've always seen it as either false charity (assuming they were denied sufficient help while attendees stayed warm inside), or as a call to look around because help may be closer than you realize.
If we were in the Five of Pentacles card, where would we stand? In the warm church or the freezing cold? Would we welcome in our less fortunate neighbors or assume they are getting what they voted for? Would we offer the same compassion we would hope to receive if the situation were reversed? No matter what side of the situation you are on, let's all try to proceed with more empathy and humanity.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Let us know!
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Sincerely,
Rayna, Money Culture Disruptor & Financial Inclusion Advocate
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