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What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In The Know. Click here to subscribe to In The Know.
This Week from OK Policy
Groundbreaking report reveals more than $200 million in savings from Oklahoma justice reform: A new report shows how Oklahoma voters’ decision to prioritize rehabilitation over incarceration has resulted in a dramatic drop in crime, a 47 percent reduction in prison sentences, and the largest local mental health and substance abuse investment in state history. The report — “Investing in Justice: The Promise and Progress of Oklahoma’s SQ 781 Community Safety Fund” — examines the potential of Oklahoma’s Community Safety Fund, created by State Question 781. The report provides a data-driven analysis of SQ 781’s impact and outlines a path forward to fulfill the vision voters approved in 2016. [Learn more]
- The report was published by Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform in collaboration with Arnold Ventures, Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, OK Policy, and DataWorks.
Policy Matters: The myth of Oklahoma’s fiscal self-reliance: Oklahoma prides itself on being lean and self-reliant, living within its means while others spend recklessly. But the numbers tell a different story. In truth, billions in federal dollars — much of it from taxpayers in other states — prop up Oklahoma’s finances. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
George Nigh’s legacy wasn’t just in policy, but in people (Capitol Update): After a long life of service, former Oklahoma Gov. George Nigh died last week. He served as governor for six of the years that I was a member of the Legislature. I could share many of the experiences I had with him during that time – but one stands out as the best example of the type of man he was. It happened early in my freshman term in the House. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
OK Policy in the News
SNAP cuts could starve Oklahoma’s safety net, food advocates warn: Weeks after Republicans cast aside warnings to pass a sweeping budget package, Oklahoma hunger advocates are scrambling to understand how deep cuts to federal food programs might impact families across the state. [Gaylord News via The Black Wall Street Times]
Weekly What’s That
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, is the nation’s largest public food assistance program. Its primary purpose is to increase the food purchasing power of eligible low-income households in order to improve their nutrition and alleviate hunger. The program has a strong counter-cyclical economic impact, as more people become eligible for support during economic downturns and recessions.
SNAP is paid for by the federal government and administered jointly by the US Department of Agriculture and state human services agencies (Oklahoma Department of Human Services).
To be eligible for SNAP, a household must have gross monthly income (income before any of the program’s deductions are applied) at or below 130 percent of the poverty line and net income (income after deductions are applied) at or below the poverty line. Some states also subject recipients to an assets limit. The great majority of SNAP recipients are low-income families with dependent children, seniors, and persons with disabilities. Adults aged 18-49 without a disability have long been subject to a work requirement that restricts them to a maximum of three months of SNAP benefits, except during times of high unemployment or during federal public health emergencies. Under the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 that ended the national debt-ceiling crisis, the work requirement phased up from age 49 to age 54 by October 2024.
In Oklahoma, the SNAP program helped about 855,000 state residents in FY 2022, which is about 1 in 5 people living in the state. Of Oklahomans who received help, 44 percent were households with children, 32 percent were households with elderly or disabled members, and 24 percent were households with at least one working member. The program paid out a total of $2.2 billion in benefits in FY 2022, a huge increase from the $944 million in benefits issued in FY 2020, due to increased benefit allocations that were part of COVID-relief measures passed by Congress. The average daily benefit per-recipient was $7.07. The USDA announced a new formula for calculating SNAP benefits that increased the maximum SNAP benefit by 21 percent effective October 2021.
Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here.
Quote of the Week
“If even half of the threatened cuts in federal support to programs helping the poor in Oklahoma are put into place, our Legislature will need to change its priorities significantly. Helping alleviate poverty in Oklahoma will improve public school performance, make our workforce more employable, and give a boost to our economy.”
– The Oklahoman Editorial Board, writing about the need to address Oklahoma’s high poverty rate. [The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: 2023 Census data show Oklahoma ranks as sixth poorest state
Op-Ed of the Week
Opinion: Why I love Oklahoma despite all its faults
I love Oklahoma in the way someone loves something — or more commonly, someone else — and gets nothing in return.
It’s an unrequited love, the kind that comes with that gut-wrenching feeling of wondering if all you’re giving will ever come back to you. The kind that makes you do irrational things, just to maybe be shown even a fraction of that love in return. The kind that breaks your heart over and over.
This summer, while delivering meals to children across Tulsa for the Summer Food Service Program, I stood at the doors of a community center in one of the city’s public housing units. The building was worn and cracked, almost forgotten by time and long forgotten by policymakers.
As I stood there in the heat, a boy who couldn’t have been older than 5 asked me if he was going to get to eat that day. Not what we had. Not if he could have seconds. Just if he’d eat.
That moment stuck with me not because it was rare, but because it wasn’t. I could tell this story countless times.
Not long after on that same day, the Tulsa Housing Authority supervisor at the site got a call. A supervisor across town had quit less than 30 minutes before they were supposed to start feeding. This wasn’t rare either. I once had to help a woman pack up her office during service time.
I chose to spend my summer serving this state, and I don’t regret that. But in moments like that, it felt like Oklahoma wasn’t giving even a fraction of that love back to its citizens.
So why do I still believe in this place? Why on earth would I love a state that underfunds its public schools, turns down federal money to help its citizens, lets children go hungry, elects leaders who vote to cut SoonerCare, closes rural hospitals, and allows its Department of Education to be paralyzed by scandal and incompetence? Why love a state that lets so many hardworking people fall through the cracks?
I keep loving this place because even with every heartbreak, I see flashes of hope — of what Oklahoma can be. I see it in Tulsa Housing Authority site supervisors knocking on doors in the summer heat, working far above their pay grade to let residents know their kids can get a meal. I see it in teachers who supply and decorate their classrooms out of their own pockets, just to make students smile. I see it in Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols directly engaging with constituents and giving many of them a voice for the first time. I see it in the eyes of organizers across the state, fighting every day to get Oklahoma to love them back.These moments don’t cover up the brokenness of the system. Far from it. But they remind me that this place is more than what comes out of Oklahoma City or Washington. It’s the people who stay, who fight, who believe it can be better. That’s why I love Oklahoma.
Loving this place means loving it despite all its faults, taking the flashes of hope with the heartbreak. Like romance, civic love isn’t easy. It demands a resilience in us that’s unlike any other. Maybe it’s the hopeless romantic in me that’s still hanging on, but I believe that if enough of us keep caring, keep believing and keep fighting, one day we’ll be proud to say we love Oklahoma and that Oklahoma loves us back.
Numbers of the Week
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5% – The percentage of adults who said court or government staff asked if they could afford to pay their fines or fees. That means the vast majority of fines are being charged without any consideration of people’s income or ability to pay — trapping low-income families in cycles of debt. [Urban Institute]
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3.3 million – The number of people who could lose rental assistance — and be pushed toward eviction or homelessness — under a proposed two-year time limit on housing aid. The policy would disproportionately impact low-income families, older adults, and people with disabilities who rely on stable housing support to avoid displacement. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
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$7 billion – The projected cost of a sharp drop in international student enrollment this fall — with a 30–40% decline potentially shrinking total enrollment by 15% and eliminating over 60,000 jobs nationwide. [NASFA]
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432 – The number of facilities ICE used to detain immigrants from May to late June 2025, up from 315 in the month before Trump’s second inauguration. Since Jan. 20, at least 45 of these facilities hadn’t held immigrants in over a decade. [Vera Institute for Justice]
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$9.4 billion – The total amount the Trump administration aimed to rescind from congressionally approved funding, including foreign aid for FY 2025 and public broadcasting funds for FY 2026 and FY 2027. Of that, $8.3 billion would slash core foreign assistance programs — such as global health, humanitarian aid, and development — and $125 million would cut into USAID’s operational budget, threatening salaries, benefits, and the agency’s capacity to function. [Center for American Progress]
What We’re Reading
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Ability to Pay and the Affordability of Fines and Fees: State and local criminal justice fines and fees — ranging from traffic tickets to court and incarceration costs — are frequently imposed without assessing individuals’ ability to pay. This one-size-fits-all approach burdens millions, especially low-income and Black and Latine families, pushing them to deplete savings, incur debt, and face harsh penalties like license suspensions and jail time. To promote fairness and financial stability, jurisdictions should adopt routine means‑testing, income‑based fines, waivers, and alternative compliance options such as payment plans and community service. [Tax Policy Center]
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Rental Assistance Time Limits Would Place More Than 3 Million People — Half of Them Children — at Risk of Eviction and Homelessness: Proposed federal time limits on housing assistance would jeopardize the stability of millions of low-income renters — especially children, seniors, and people with disabilities. By arbitrarily cutting off aid after a fixed period, these proposals ignore the persistent structural barriers that make stable housing unaffordable, from wage stagnation to rising rents and discriminatory practices. Evidence shows that time-limited benefits increase hardship and housing insecurity without improving employment outcomes. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
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Who loses if US colleges lose international students?: International students contribute significantly to U.S. colleges through tuition revenue, research output, and local economic activity. A decline in international enrollment would hit smaller and private institutions the hardest — especially those in blue states — due to their financial dependence on nonresident tuition. Beyond campus budgets, entire communities risk losing jobs and spending tied to these students, making the issue one of both educational and economic consequence. [Brookings Institution]
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How Trump Used the Criminal System to Massively Expand Immigration Detention: Throughout Trump’s second term, ICE has dramatically expanded its use of detention centers — activating hundreds of facilities, including previously unused ones, and deploying migrants to overseas locations such as Guantánamo Bay. This shift accompanies a broader enforcement agenda marked by intensified interior raids, fast-track deportations, and new legislation like the Laken Riley Act, continuing a hardline stance with mounting humanitarian and legal concerns. [The Marshall Project]
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“Pocket Rescissions” Are Illegal: The Trump administration is promoting a tactic called “pocket rescissions”, under which the president would issue rescission requests less than 45 days before the fiscal year ends and allow funding to expire automatically — effectively canceling appropriated funds without congressional approval. Legal experts, including the Government Accountability Office and key appropriations leaders, have declared this practice unlawful, asserting it bypasses clear legislative authority and undermines the constitutional balance between Congress and the executive branch. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
