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Policy Matters: Help wanted – Leadership from Oklahoma’s delegation: Congress has shut down the federal government, and Oklahomans are paying the price. Across the state, federal employees are being told to stay home or work without pay. Food assistance is about to stall for families. Veterans waiting on benefits are caught in limbo. Small businesses that rely on federal loans are twisting in the wind. Meanwhile, amid the chaos, Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation has stayed nearly silent. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
Opinion: Oklahoma’s founders warned against concentrated power. We should listen: The framework for Oklahoma’s system of government contains a healthy distrust of concentrated power. When our founders drafted our state constitution, they saw what happened in other states when one officeholder or party could wield all the power. They designed a government full of checks and balances, where citizens — not politicians — would have the final say. Yet, in recent years, Oklahoma lawmakers have drifted from this founding principle. [Shiloh Kantz / The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma News
Do One in Six Oklahomans receive SNAP food benefits?: Yes. In 2024, 17% of Oklahomans, totaling 686,800, received SNAP benefits, a greater percentage than the national 12%, or 1 in 8. [Oklahoma Watch]
5 things to know with SNAP cutoff effective Nov. 1 in Oklahoma: The U.S. Department of Agriculture notified Oklahoma Human Services that benefits normally received monthly by more than 684,000 SNAP recipients in Oklahoma will be suspended if the federal government shutdown can’t be resolved. SNAP benefits account for $130 million in federal funding to the state each month. More than 600,000 across Oklahoma and 116,000 in Tulsa County rely on SNAP. [Tulsa World]
Food banks prepare to fill gap for Oklahomans: With federal food assistance in peril, Oklahoma food banks, nonprofits and religious groups are bracing for impact. The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, which serves 53 counties in central and western Oklahoma, is aiming to double its efforts should SNAP be cut off. This will cost $5.5 million per month, but it won’t be enough, officials said. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Food relief agencies gear up for SNAP cuts amid surging demand [Tulsa World]
- North Tulsa’s Oasis Fresh Market Answers the Call Amid SNAP Crisis [The Black Wall Street Times]
- OKC families, food pantries brace for loss of SNAP benefits. Here’s where to find help [The Oklahoman]
- SNAP benefits will likely be suspended this weekend. Here’s how Oklahoma is responding [KOSU]
- Where to find resources in Oklahoma as government shutdown impacts funding for SNAP benefits [KOCO]
- Opinion: Nearly 700,000 Oklahomans losing SNAP benefits. What’s a ‘rainy-day fund’ for? [Christy Taylor / The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: Leaders shouldn’t ask nonprofits to do government’s job (Policy Matters)
State Government News
Long Story Short: Lawmakers Get Earful As Oklahoma Home Insurance Rates Skyrocket (podcast): Jennifer Palmer’s latest story delves into the Oklahoma City Police Department’s refusal to release certain police reports. Keaton Ross breaks down several new laws set to take effect on Nov. 1. Paul Monies looked into the rising cost of homeowners’ insurance in Oklahoma after a pair of legislative hearings at the Capitol. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoma City lawmaker being investigated for forgery, embezzlement, search warrants show: An Oklahoma City lawmaker is being investigated by the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office for forgery and embezzlement related to use of her campaign funds, according to two unsealed search warrants. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Court Docs: Reveal new search warrant details for State Lawmaker Ajay Pittman’s home [KFOR]
Former Assistant AG: Walters’ massive staff bonuses warrant further investigation: A former assistant Oklahoma attorney general says state criminal investigators should look into the hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonus payments former State Superintendent Ryan Walters paid his top staff during his time in office—following News 4’s latest report this week exposing even more payouts. [KFOR]
Oklahoma Human Services preparing to furlough staff due to government shutdown: On Wednesday, Oklahoma Human Services sent an email out to employees stating that they were preparing for furloughs as a result of the ongoing government shutdown. [KOCO]
State lawmakers host interim study examining modern updates to custody laws: State Representatives Mark Tedford (R-Jenks) and Erick Harris (R-Edmond) hosted an interim study examining ways to update custody laws to better reflect modern family dynamics. [Fox 23]
Lawmaker pushing sports betting still supportive despite NBA scandal: Sen. Bill Coleman (R-Ponca City) said he is not receiving any financial incentives to advocate for sports betting. Instead, he got interested in the growing industry after he placed a $10 wager in Kansas. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Federal Government News
Shutdown double whammy: SNAP food benefits ending and federal workers go unpaid: Ginette Young lined up with hundreds of furloughed federal workers ahead of a special food bank distribution on Tuesday in a suburb just outside the District of Columbia. Young, a District resident, was among hundreds of furloughed federal workers hoping to get pantry staples and fresh produce at the event sponsored by the Capital Area Food Bank and No Limits Outreach Ministries in Hyattsville. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Hundreds of federal workers line up for food as shutdown hits 30 days and counting [KFOR]
SNAP’s Contingency Reserve Is Available for Regular SNAP Benefits, as USDA and OMB Have Ruled in Past: The Trump Administration recently claimed that SNAP benefits are not available for November 2025 because SNAP’s “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits.” This stands in opposition to the law and prior practice, including by the Trump Administration itself. Also, the Administration could use its legal transfer authority — the same authority it already used to provide additional funds to WIC — to supplement the contingency reserves, which alone are not enough to fund families’ full benefits for November. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
- Food aid for 42 million imperiled by shutdown politics, as Trump tests law [Reuters]
As federal food assistance runs out, junior troops with families may be hit hard: Thousands of military families won’t receive federal food assistance next month as the government shutdown impacts funding to fight food insecurity. The USDA’s own data found that a quarter of military personnel experience food insecurity. And many troops and military families that aren’t enrolled in SNAP also regularly use military food pantries and other food banks to deal with the cost of living. [Task & Purpose]
Head Start Programs Are Closing Down as Shutdown Funding Lapses Grow: Democrats and advocates are warning about the growing consequences that the government shutdown will have on Head Start programs across the country. [Oklahoma Watch]
Judge blocks Trump shutdown layoffs, citing political retribution: The Trump administration cannot carry out layoffs that it announced after the government shutdown began Oct. 1 and is barred from issuing any new layoff notices under a court order issued Tuesday. [Oklahoma Voice]
Trump claims immunity, seeks to erase felon status with appeal in NY court: President Donald Trump sought to remove his status as the only felon to be elected president by appealing his conviction on 34 New York state charges just before midnight Tuesday, arguing, in part, that the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling giving the president broad immunity invalidated the conviction. [Oklahoma Voice]
US Senate in bipartisan vote rejects Trump tariffs on Brazil as coffee prices spike: Five Republican U.S. senators joined Democrats Tuesday to terminate President Donald Trump’s national emergency that triggered steep tariffs on goods from Brazil. [Oklahoma Voice]
Why are beef prices so high? Oklahoma farmers weigh in on Trump’s new deal to lower costs: Oklahoma had nearly 2 million cattle and cows dedicated to beef at the start of 2025 and continues to produce the second-highest number of beef cows nationwide. But deals involving President Donald Trump may impact the way beef is sold in the Sooner State. [The Oklahoman]
The White House gutted a federal office overseeing special education. Those layoffs could impact Oklahoma schools: In the Trump administration’s latest move to dismantle the federal agency, 121 workers in the Office of Special Education Programs were laid off this month. This office enforces federal laws like the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), which protects the 7.5 million U.S. students with disabilities, and oversees $15 billion a year in special education funding for state departments and schools. [Tulsa Flyer]
- Opinion, Oklahoma State Representative: For 50 years, US has led the world in disability rights. That progress is in danger [Rep. Ellyn Hefner / The Oklahoman]
Tribal Nations News
Muscogee Nation to provide SNAP aid to tribal citizens: The Muscogee Nation confirmed Wednesday that it will provide assistance to tribal citizens who are on track to lose SNAP benefits Saturday due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. [Tulsa World]
Cherokee Nation issues state of emergency to combat food insecurity ahead of SNAP benefit suspension: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are going to expire Saturday, leaving hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans without food assistance. The Cherokee Nation is declaring a state of emergency and calling on state leaders to step up. [KOSU]
- Cherokee Nation declares food emergency, makes millions available for tribal citizens [Tulsa Flyer]
- Cherokee Nation to make millions in funding available to combat food insecurity amid shutdown [The Oklahoman]
Voting and Election News
Supporters of Oklahoma open primaries begin collecting signatures: Supporters of an effort to open the state’s primary voting system on Wednesday began gathering signatures. They have until Jan. 28 to collect 172,993 signatures to get State Question 836 on the ballot. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Vote Yes 836 volunteers kick off signature gathering in downtown OKC [The Journal Record]
- Open primary supporters begin collecting signatures for Oklahoma State Question 836 [KOSU]
Education News
Education Watch: New Superintendent Rolls Back Walters’ Initiatives: The Oklahoma Department of Education, under new Superintendent of Schools Lindel Fields, has been busy rolling back a number of initiatives started by his predecessor, Ryan Walters. [Oklahoma Watch]
- From prison classes to the Capitol, Lindel Fields’ journey led to the top of Oklahoma schools [Oklahoma Voice]
OSU cuts ties with associate VP after arrest for ‘internet crimes against children’: A now-former Oklahoma State University associate vice president told an undercover Broken Arrow Police Department officer he has had three sexual relationships with girls between ages 13 and 16, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Oklahoma County District Court. [NonDoc]
Health News
Oklahoma hospitals bracing for impact of Medicaid cuts in communities ‘already at risk’: Oklahoma hospitals are projected to lose $6.7 billion over 10 years as a result of the funding changes, which were approved by Congress in July as part of the GOP-backed spending and tax megabill. Rural hospitals — and the people who rely on them — are expected to be among those hardest hit. [The Oklahoman]
The government shutdown’s impact on mental health: The loss of paychecks and SNAP benefits has affected many Oklahomans, but now, many are looking at the toll the government shutdown is having on the mental health of those impacted. [KFOR]
‘What a doctor should be’: Documentary following rural Oklahoma physician, hospital debuts on HBO: Dr. James Graham has practiced as a physician in Fairfax for decades, dividing his time between Fairfax’s hospital, a nursing home and three clinics, one of which is 60 miles away from the town. Over the years, he said the community’s hospital had been on the verge of closure at least 10 times. But the people he’s served – some for most of their lives – don’t change. They’re still sick and in need of care. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
Criminal Justice News
Police want new laws to target sex traffickers amid regulatory board’s unsettled future: Tulsa Police Sgt. Nick Wheeler and the Oklahoma Coalition Against Human Trafficking are pushing for two-pronged legislation they believe will discourage traffickers from operating and make it easier for law enforcement to take them down if they do. [Tulsa World]
Grandma in Oklahoma Panhandle murder case to get life in prison without the possibility of parole: A grandmother has agreed to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole for the fatal stabbing of two women in the Oklahoma Panhandle. [The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Operation SAFE will likely continue sweeping homeless camps in Oklahoma City: State troopers cleared 11 homeless encampments in Oklahoma City in a surprise round of sweeps Monday, Oct. 27, and say more could be on the way. [The Oklahoman]
Tulsa announces site of winter homeless shelter: The city of Tulsa will open its first winter weather shelter for the homeless on Nov. 17 at BeHeard Movement, 7216 E. Admiral Place. The facility will be open to adults and their pets 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the end of March. [Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
Oklahoma’s economy faces ripple effects from SNAP funding freeze: The impending suspension of SNAP benefits in Oklahoma due to the government shutdown is expected to have significant economic repercussions, affecting businesses and employment across the state. [KOCO]
Tariff mayhem results in cooling sales for Oklahoma retailers: An in-depth annual report reveals Oklahoma’s independent retailers are working harder in 2025, yet seeing their profits shrink. In the first six months, sales growth cooled to 6.2%, the lowest rate since 2020, while year-over-year expenses driven by inflation and tariffs climbed 18.6%, according to the 2025 State of Retail just released by the Independent Shopkeepers Association. [The Journal Record]
Local Headlines
- Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols to host final Community Conversation on Thursday [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“What could be more fiscally irresponsible than refusing to use emergency funds during an actual emergency? What’s the purpose of a rainy day fund if not for moments like this? When nearly 700,000 Oklahomans face food insecurity, is that not precisely the rainy day we’ve been saving for?”
– Christy Taylor, an Oklahoma taxpayer who advocates for the responsible use of the state’s rainy day fund, criticizing Governor Stitt’s refusal to use those funds to support SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
9%
Estimated share of veterans in Oklahoma who receive food assistance via SNAP. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
Policy Note
SNAP Helps 1.2 Million Veterans With Low Incomes, Including Thousands in Every State: About 1.2 million veterans live in households that participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps). Thousands of veterans in every state — who may be unemployed, working in low-paying jobs, or have disabilities — use SNAP to supplement their low income to put food on the table for themselves and their families. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
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