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In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma’s state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories included here are behind paywall or require subscription. Subscribe to In The Know and see past editions.
Oklahoma News
‘Very dire need’: Volunteers needed at Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma: The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma (RFBO) says it is in dire need of volunteers amid an increase in people needing help putting food on their tables. [Fox 25]
State Government News
Oklahoma will send $1 million every week to food banks as families wait for SNAP funds: The Contingency Review Board unanimously voted to approve the disbursement at an emergency meeting Monday, Nov. 3. The money will come from the State Emergency Fund, which has $7.8 million. It will go out immediately and continue for up to seven weeks, or until funding for federal food assistance is restored. [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma leaders approve emergency funds for SNAP benefits, but await guidance for direct payments [KOCO]
- $72,000 to be used for update to be able to put non-federal funds on EBT cards in Oklahoma [Fox 25]
New records raise ethical questions about Walters-era spending, gifts and ties to group he now works for: New records obtained by News 4 reveal fresh concerns about former State Superintendent Ryan Walters, including a taxpayer-funded bonus to his press secretary who now works with him at an activist group, taxpayer-funded travel to events hosted by that same group, and behind-the-scenes videos of Walters promoting a specific Bible brand he later sought to place in public schools. [KFOR]
- Emails reveal Oklahoma officials’ push for Bible curriculum using taxpayer dollars [Fox 25]
Federal Government News
Congress remains deadlocked, with government shutdown now on day 35: The U.S. Senate Tuesday failed for the 14th time to advance a stopgap spending bill to fund the government, as the ongoing shutdown hit 35 days and is now tied with the shutdown of 2018-2019 as the longest ever. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Government shutdown becomes the longest on record as fallout spreads across the country [AP via KFOR]
- OK Sen. Markwayne Mullin says shutdown could end after Election Day 2025. Here’s why. [The Oklahoman]
A defiant Trump vows no SNAP payments until Democrats cave on shutdown: President Donald Trump backtracked Tuesday on a pledge by his administration in court filings to partially fund November food assistance during the government shutdown, posting on social media that benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!” [Oklahoma Voice]
- ‘Nobody needs to go hungry’: Edmond nonprofits try to fill void as shutdown disrupts SNAP benefits [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma ranks in top 5 for SNAP reliance. See how food stamp use compares in state, US [The Oklahoman]
Moderate House Dems, GOP release ‘principles’ for ObamaCare subsidy extension: A quartet of bipartisan House lawmakers on Monday proposed a framework to temporarily extend ObamaCare’s enhanced tax credits that includes a sunset period and an income cap for high earners. [The Hill]
- States prepare for rapid price changes as Congress mulls Obamacare subsidies [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma health insurance premiums soar as tax credits set to expire [Fox 25]
Oklahoma EPA employees among those affected by shutdown, union says: Workers with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 6, which includes Oklahoma, have been impacted by furloughs. The local union reports a lack of transparency during the shutdown. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KOSU]
Former VP Dick Cheney, champion of aggressive foreign policy, dies at 84: Former Vice President Dick Cheney, an architect and chief practitioner of neoconservative foreign policy who was an influential figure among a generation of Republicans, died Monday. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma legislators, leaders react to death of former Vice President Dick Cheney [The Oklahoman]
It’s small businesses versus Trump in tariff case before the Supreme Court: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear one of the first major cases of President Donald Trump’s second term Wednesday, when the administration defends the president’s emergency tariffs that American small business owners say are upending their livelihoods. [Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion: SNAP loss will hit those with disabilities hard: The crisis of the coming loss of SNAP benefits cannot be overstated. Ignoring the data that 1 in 3 recipients are children or that most SNAP households have employment yet still rely on SNAP, there are many receiving SNAP who cannot work due to disabilities. [Ryan Miller / The Oklahoman]
Tribal Nations News
Oklahoma tribes step in to feed citizens as federal shutdown threatens food aid: Tribal nations, including the Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee and Seminole are deploying funds to ensure their citizens don’t go hungry — and urging state leaders to do the same. [The Frontier]
Ivy League study aims to help educators navigate stereotypes for Indigenous youth: A Cornell professor worked with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to understand how stereotypes impact their youth. The findings in partnership with the tribe in North Carolina highlight what Oklahoma educators may want to consider when talking about stereotypes in the classroom. [KOSU]
Voting and Election News
Petition to legalize marijuana for recreational use withdrawn, state office says: People who support legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Oklahoma won’t get to vote on the issue anytime soon. Proponents apparently fell short in their quest to collect enough signatures on a petition to get a recreational use state question on ballots in a statewide election. [Tulsa World]
New homeless shelter could be part of larger public safety package on Norman ballot: Norman City Council members and staff expressed interest in putting a new homeless shelter on a ballot next year during a meeting Tuesday night. [KOCO]
Tulsa mayor pushes for vote on city sales tax increase: At a Q&A with reporters Monday morning, Nichols said he’ll be discussing a proposal with city council to raise the current tax rate from 3.65% to 4.35%, or about 0.7 of a penny. [KOSU]
Education News
Special education enforcement would be up to states under Trump plan: In its quest to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, the Trump administration wants to let states police themselves when it comes to educating students with disabilities, a move many teachers and parents fear will strip away crucial federal oversight and deny vulnerable children the services they’re guaranteed under law. [Oklahoma Voice]
Undocumented Oklahoma college students want to appeal state’s tuition agreement with Trump: A group of foreign-born college students who were brought to the United States as children and graduated high school in Oklahoma are fighting to keep their in-state tuition rates. [The Oklahoman]
Health News
States use algorithms to determine who gets at-home care through Medicaid (audio): In the United States, 3 million elderly and disabled people get health care benefits at home, which is covered by Medicaid in many states. But the way states determine who is eligible for care is confusing and could leave people out. [WBUR via KGOU]
Criminal Justice News
Long Story Short: Former Corrections Director Approved Million Dollar Deal With AI Company, Then Went to Work For Them (podcast): Jake Ramsey went on a ride-along with the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department as the officer served evictions and talked about what he saw. Keaton Ross wrote about former Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Steven Harpe taking a job with a company for which he had approved a state contract in April. [Oklahoma Watch]
Tremane Wood: Nine Days to Live for a Crime He Didn’t Commit: What would you do if you had less than a week to live? What if you were told you’d spend those last days confined to a building, removed from your community, and the only potential recourse rests in the same hands that are preparing to kill you? Tremane Wood is scheduled to be executed on November 13th for a murder he did not commit, despite the victim’s family publicly sharing that they do not think he should be executed. [The Black Wall Street Times]
- From OK Policy: Oklahoma Death Penalty Tracker
Oklahoma Highway Patrol arrests 73 during latest I-40 immigration sting: The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, in partnership with federal immigration forces, arrested 73 people during a second operation targeting drivers without legal immigration status. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma troopers, ICE arrest 73 undocumented immigrants in Operation Guardian crackdown [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma conducts highway immigration operation along Arkansas border [KOSU]
Oklahoma County Jail omits report to OSDH on teen who left their custody with a traumatic brain injury: The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) confirms the Oklahoma County Jail never produced an incident report on 18-year-old Antonio Hendricks, who left the custody of the jail with a traumatic brain injury in October. [KFOR]
2 more sets of remains exhumed at Oaklawn as 1921 graves search continues: Crews at Oaklawn Cemetery in Tulsa have exhumed two more sets of remains as part of the city’s search for more victims of the 1921 Race Massacre. That brings the total number of exhumed remains in 2025 up to eight. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Broken Promises and Broken Ceilings: Renters Discover Oklahoma’s Weak Tenant Protections: Oklahoma Policy Institute’s housing senior policy analyst, Sabine Brown, said that demands for repairs often land new, formerly out-of-state tenants on the curb. [Oklahoma Watch]
‘Living in the shadows’: More than 5K Tulsa County students say they’re experiencing homelessness: Educators are trained to keep an eye out for the sometimes subtle but profound warning signs of a growing issue in Tulsa County schools: More than 5,000 students are experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness. [Tulsa Flyer]
Nonprofit drops zoning request to expand homeless services next to Farmers Market District: An Oklahoma City food pantry for the homeless is withdrawing a zoning application to build a larger operation next to the Farmers Market District after a protest was filed by hundreds of the area’s business and property owners. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma enacts new law to combat title theft and protect property owners: Oklahoma now has a new law that protects people from title theft, which is when someone files fake paperwork to take ownership of your property. [News on 6]
Local Headlines
- Is Tulsa among the most ozone-polluted metropolitan areas in the country? [Oklahoma Watch]
- Tulsans question redevelopment plans for former Vista Shadow Mountain Apartments [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Perfect storm puts Tulsa child care providers at risk of shutting doors, cutting staff [Tulsa Flyer]
- $2 million pledged for 14-mile Gilcrease Museum trail system [Tulsa World]
- OKC Mayor Holt discusses creating investment-ready communities [The Journal Record]
- OKC task force focused on violence among youth still in early stages as gun deaths persist [KOCO]
- Midwest Support Foundation, TWG Development open new senior housing in OKC [The Journal Record]
Quote of the Day
“Congress is gridlocked, and too many Americans have lost faith that we can work together. But here’s the truth: Democrats and Republicans can sit down, listen to one another, and find common ground, especially when it comes to lowering health care costs.”
– Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.), and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), calling on Congress to come together to preserve the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits and resolve the government shutdown. In their bipartisan proposal, the lawmakers outlined a temporary extension of the enhanced credits with both a sunset period and an income limit for high earners. [The Hill]
- From OK Policy: Help wanted – Leadership from Oklahoma’s delegation
Number of the Day
22 million
The number of Americans who receive premium tax credits (PTCs) to help pay for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. These federal subsidies make coverage more affordable for people who don’t get insurance through their employer. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
Policy Note
Health Insurance Premium Spikes Imminent as Tax Credit Enhancements Set to Expire: The enhanced premium tax credits (PTCs) under Affordable Care Act help nearly all marketplace enrollees afford coverage by capping their premium contributions relative to income. If these enhancements expire at the end of 2025, millions of people will face much higher insurance premiums — across age groups, income levels, and states — and many may drop coverage altogether. The resulting enrollment loss among healthier individuals will raise risk pools and drive further premium increases, risking a cascade of cost pressures for both households and the health-insurance market. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
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