Weekly Wonk: Ryan Walters was a test; Oklahoma leaders flunked | A look at potential improvements to Oklahoma’s criminal justice system | The government shutdown is hurting a lot of people. Leadership is needed.

Annie Taylor // October 19, 2025 // Updated: October 17, 2025
OK Policy Articles & Research // Weekly Wonk

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

Policy Matters: Ryan Walters was a test; Oklahoma leaders flunked: Now that Ryan Walters has resigned as State Superintendent, Oklahoma’s political establishment is rushing to express outrage, regret, and promises of investigation. But the real question is: where was this outrage when Walters was actively undermining trust in our public schools? [Shiloh Kantz / Journal Record]

Interim study looks at potential improvements to Oklahoma’s criminal justice system (Capitol Update): The Senate Public Safety Committee chaired by Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, conducted an interim study on October 1 requested by Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, to consider several flaws in the criminal justice system – some that could perhaps be easily fixed – and quantified their cost to both taxpayers and to the individuals affected. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]

OK Policy in the News

Raising the Minimum Wage Could Reduce Eviction Rates, Data Shows: Nearly half of Oklahoma households struggled to afford necessities in 2023, according to a new report. The limited income of 45% of households in the state has priced many families out of their homes, contributing to the state’s eviction crisis. [Oklahoma Watch]

Interim Studies to Watch

Minimum age for legal proceedings against minors: The Oklahoma Senate Judiciary Committee held an interim study this week to examine the minimum age for legal proceedings against minors, also known as the age of adjudication. Under current law, children as young as seven can be referred to the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) and face court proceedings. The study featured testimony from a former juvenile court judge, representatives from OJA and the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, law enforcement officers, and other experts. [Watch the recording from the Oklahoma Senate Judiciary Committee]

Upcoming this week:

[All Senate Interim Studies] | [All House Interim Studies]

Weekly What’s That

Revolving Funds

A revolving fund is a fund of a specific government agency or entity, created by law, that collects revenues from fees and other sources and supports expenditures of that agency or entity. Agencies generally may exercise greater control over the expenditure of revolving funds than they may over appropriated dollars. The balances of the fund carry over from one year to the next for the same purpose. Expenditures from revolving funds may be limited to purposes defined by the law. Although revolving funds are non-appropriated, as part of the annual appropriations process, the Legislature may direct an agency to spend money from a revolving fund to perform their general duties, and may transfer money from a revolving fund to the Special Cash Fund to help fund other state agencies.

There are over 1,100 agency revolving funds, each designated by a specific number and title (e.g. State Bond Advisor 285 Fund – Bond Oversight Revolving Fund).

Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here.

Quote of the Week

“When people’s basic needs are met—education, food, opportunity—crime is low. Health issues are low. The question is whether we have the political will to build a nation where people are at the center—not corporations, not parties, not candidates.”

– LaTasha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, speaking about the need to build a more just and compassionate America — one grounded in justice and humanity rather than punishment. [The Black Wall Street Times]

Editorial of the Week

Editorial: The government shutdown is hurting a lot of people. Leadership is needed

Gone are the days, it seems, when members of Congress went to Washington, DC, to fight for what would be good for the voters back home. Now their loyalty is to their political party, and both Democrats and Republicans, almost without exception, toe the party line regardless of the consequences.

That’s why we’re in the fix we’re in today. Congress is deadlocked over the budget, the government is mostly shut down, except for services deemed to be essential, and chaos, confusion and fear have settled in on the lives of many across the nation.

This has happened before. It’s all a game of political chicken. Who will blink first and loose the advantage in negotiation? So far neither side is budging.

Republicans are claiming Democrats shut down the government “to demand free health care for illegals.”

However, U.S. law already prohibits unauthorized immigrants from gaining any federally subsidized health care coverage. Democrats say they are only seeking to restore subsidies that keep health insurance premiums low for people insured through the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire later this year as part of the Trump administration’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Undocumented immigrants are barred from accessing that money.

[Read the full editorial from the Oklahoman Editorial Board]

Numbers of the Week

  • 3.8 – The rate at which Tribal youth were more likely than white youth to be placed in juvenile facilities in 2023, an all-time high in data going back to 1997. [The Sentencing Project]

  • 2.42% – The share of median monthly household income that Tulsa families spend on groceries, ranking the city 19th highest in the nation. Oklahoma City also falls within the top 50, highlighting that rising food costs are straining households across the state. [WalletHub]

  • $400 Million – The estimated daily cost of lost compensation for furloughed federal employees during the 2025 government shutdown. The total daily economic toll is likely much higher when factoring in broader ripple effects across the economy. [Congressional Budget Office]

  • 24% – The share of adults ages 18–64 in families receiving SNAP who reported their benefits were stopped or interrupted in 2024. Among them, 13% lost benefits because of problems recertifying on time, and 8% were told they were no longer eligible. [Urban Institute]

  • 161,698 – Number of disabled beneficiaries in Oklahoma (aged 18–64) who received Social Security, SSI, or both as of December 2023. This is 6.7% of state residents in this population group. [Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, 2023]

What We’re Reading

  • Over-Incarceration of Native Americans: Roots, Inequities, and Solutions: Native Americans face disproportionate incarceration due to a convergence of historical trauma, systemic racism, and federal policies that undermined tribal sovereignty and justice systems. Complex jurisdictional rules, limited access to public defenders in tribal courts, and harsher sentencing in federal courts deepen inequities, while substance use and poverty are often criminalized rather than addressed with care. Promising approaches — like holistic defense, reentry programs, and culturally grounded restorative practices — show that tribes are best positioned to reduce disparities when given adequate resources. [Safety + Justice Challenge]

  • Consumers Should Brace Themselves for Higher Food Prices: Tariffs on agricultural imports risk driving up grocery costs and triggering shortages — especially as U.S. trade policies strain long-standing supply chains. Distributors warn that importers will have to absorb higher costs, likely passing them along to consumers in the near term. Growing uncertainty over trade rules, retaliatory tariffs, and inflationary pressures means food affordability is becoming a more acute concern for low- and middle-income households. [Council on Foreign Relations]

  • What the Federal Shutdown Means for States and Localities: When the federal government shuts down, many programs and grants that states and localities rely on are paused — forcing delays in project funding, cutting back on shared services, and straining local budgets. Localities may have to step in to maintain critical functions like transit, infrastructure, and social services, sometimes without assurance of federal reimbursement. Over time, the revenue shortfalls and operational disruptions can erode capacity and shift costs upward for residents. [Governing]

  • Paperwork Burdens Cost One in Eight Working-Age SNAP Recipients Their Benefits in 2024: SNAP continues to play a crucial role in reducing food insecurity, but families are increasingly losing benefits not because they’re ineligible, but because of paperwork and administrative hurdles during recertification. Many recipients never receive proper notices or don’t have enough time to respond, leading to churn that disrupts access to food and increases hardship. Upcoming federal changes — including expanded work reporting requirements, stricter documentation rules, and higher state cost-sharing — are expected to worsen these disruptions. Without stronger safeguards like clearer communication, system upgrades, and outreach support, eligible families risk falling through the cracks while states face higher administrative costs and mounting pressure. [Urban Institute]

  • Trump Administration Plans Deep Cuts to Social Security Disability Insurance, Particularly for Older Workers: Despite repeatedly promising not to cut Social Security, the Trump Administration is reportedly preparing a proposed rule that could reduce the share of applicants who qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) by up to 20 percent, according to an Urban Institute report that cites writing by a former Trump Administration official and interviews with former staff at the Social Security Administration (SSA). This would be the largest cut in SSDI history. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annie Taylor // ataylor@okpolicy.org

Annie Taylor joined OK Policy as a Digital Communications Associate/Storybanker in April 2022. She studied journalism and mass communication at the University of Oklahoma, and was a member of the Native American Journalists Association. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communications from the University of Central Oklahoma. While pursuing her degree, she worked in restaurant and retail management, as well as freelance copywriting and digital content production. Annie is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation, and holds a deep reverence for storytelling in the digital age. She was born and raised in southeast Oklahoma, and now lives in Oklahoma City with her dog, Melvin.