Danny Mintz
@dannymintz.bsky.social
Safety-net policy, New Orleans stuff, etc.
Views are my own.
Views are my own.
Excellent explanation of the chaotic mess that people trying to scrape a meal together are wading through due to USDA's conflicting and inconsistent guidance.
The Administration needs to release full SNAP funding immediately.
The Administration needs to release full SNAP funding immediately.
More chaos and cruelty in SNAP. A short 🧵. On Thursday, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered USDA to issue full SNAP benefits for November by Friday, using unneeded extra funds in the child nutrition account. Several states responded by starting work on issuing full benefits. 1/
November 9, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Excellent explanation of the chaotic mess that people trying to scrape a meal together are wading through due to USDA's conflicting and inconsistent guidance.
The Administration needs to release full SNAP funding immediately.
The Administration needs to release full SNAP funding immediately.
Reposted by Danny Mintz
It is illegal to not follow a court order and it is just wrong to delay food assistance to children, seniors, veterans, working parents, and people with disabilities.
The president says he will defy court orders and illegally withhold SNAP benefits despite there being money in the SNAP contingency fund that the Trump is required to use.
November 4, 2025 at 6:25 PM
It is illegal to not follow a court order and it is just wrong to delay food assistance to children, seniors, veterans, working parents, and people with disabilities.
Reposted by Danny Mintz
Ask any of your favorite Black women writers from a decade ago why their bylines stopped appearing, and you’ll likely hear the same response: There is no place for us in media. In TV. In publishing or academia. For the majority of us, there’s no place but gone.
thank you for all the support; the statement from our union is now live here with some more reporting.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
November 4, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Ask any of your favorite Black women writers from a decade ago why their bylines stopped appearing, and you’ll likely hear the same response: There is no place for us in media. In TV. In publishing or academia. For the majority of us, there’s no place but gone.
Reposted by Danny Mintz
I just don’t think we’re freaking out enough about this SNAP cut. I have spent my whole career working with people who rely on SNAP for food. People who work multiple jobs. Who have kids. What do you think happens when 1/8th of the population can’t buy food anymore? Everything is going to collapse.
October 30, 2025 at 11:20 PM
I just don’t think we’re freaking out enough about this SNAP cut. I have spent my whole career working with people who rely on SNAP for food. People who work multiple jobs. Who have kids. What do you think happens when 1/8th of the population can’t buy food anymore? Everything is going to collapse.
Reposted by Danny Mintz
NEW: The Trump admin just ended the practice of automatically extending work permits when people file to renew them — meaning that if USCIS takes too long to process a renewal the applicant loses their authorization to work legally.
The interim final rule applies to renewals filed after tomorrow.
The interim final rule applies to renewals filed after tomorrow.
![This document is scheduled to be published in the
Federal Register on 10/30/2025 and available online at
https://federalregister.gov/d/2025-19702, and on https://govinfo.gov
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Removal of the Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization Documents AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ACTION: Interim final rule (“IFR”) with request for comments. ______________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY: This IFR amends DHS regulations to end the practice of automatically extending the validity of employment authorization documents (Forms I-766 or EADs) for aliens who have timely filed an application to renew their EAD in certain employment authorization categories. The purpose of this change is to prioritize the proper vetting and screening of aliens before granting a new period of employment authorization and/or a new EAD. This IFR does not impact the validity of EADs that were automatically extended prior to [INSERT DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER] or which are otherwise automatically extended by law or Federal Register notice.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2vtbmhmrwzbqcfv4we4uxzzt/bafkreicxgrb4jgjk3455qn4mjcjyz24ysxwf3ri2j5gzlqe4uuq67m746a@jpeg)
October 29, 2025 at 1:43 PM
NEW: The Trump admin just ended the practice of automatically extending work permits when people file to renew them — meaning that if USCIS takes too long to process a renewal the applicant loses their authorization to work legally.
The interim final rule applies to renewals filed after tomorrow.
The interim final rule applies to renewals filed after tomorrow.
Reposted by Danny Mintz
Today was a hard day. Regulations that we passed unanimously last year, after 7 years of advocacy, were largely gutted. The FCC capitulated to the correctional telecom industry in roughly doubling rate caps for prison and jail calls. I'm truly sorry.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/u...
F.C.C. Changes Course on the Price of Prisoners’ Phone Calls
www.nytimes.com
October 28, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Today was a hard day. Regulations that we passed unanimously last year, after 7 years of advocacy, were largely gutted. The FCC capitulated to the correctional telecom industry in roughly doubling rate caps for prison and jail calls. I'm truly sorry.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/u...
Reposted by Danny Mintz
If you are able to, please contribute to your local food bank this week
October 28, 2025 at 11:56 AM
If you are able to, please contribute to your local food bank this week
41 MILLION people are facing a Thanksgiving month without money for food, while contingency funding for SNAP benefits sits unused.
Just a month ago, OMB said that SNAP's contingency fund should fund benefits in a shutdown. Now, new reporting says the White House has changed their minds.
Just a month ago, OMB said that SNAP's contingency fund should fund benefits in a shutdown. Now, new reporting says the White House has changed their minds.
Punchbowl reports “White House officials determined they do not have the authority” to use contingency reserves —billions of $ that Congress provided for use when SNAP funding is inadequate— to fund Nov. SNAP benefits. But, that’s not what USDA’s now-deleted shutdown plan says:
October 24, 2025 at 7:17 PM
41 MILLION people are facing a Thanksgiving month without money for food, while contingency funding for SNAP benefits sits unused.
Just a month ago, OMB said that SNAP's contingency fund should fund benefits in a shutdown. Now, new reporting says the White House has changed their minds.
Just a month ago, OMB said that SNAP's contingency fund should fund benefits in a shutdown. Now, new reporting says the White House has changed their minds.
Reposted by Danny Mintz
With millions at risk of losing SNAP in the coming days, a reminder: hunger doesn't happen in isolation. When food assistance disappears, families use rent money to eat. Then come evictions and homelessness.
Housing, food, healthcare—it's all connected. Cut one thread and the whole thing unravels.
Housing, food, healthcare—it's all connected. Cut one thread and the whole thing unravels.
October 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
With millions at risk of losing SNAP in the coming days, a reminder: hunger doesn't happen in isolation. When food assistance disappears, families use rent money to eat. Then come evictions and homelessness.
Housing, food, healthcare—it's all connected. Cut one thread and the whole thing unravels.
Housing, food, healthcare—it's all connected. Cut one thread and the whole thing unravels.
Reposted by Danny Mintz
Brooke Rollins is running around saying SNAP will run out of money November 1 when the administration could release emergency funds to cover two-thirds of the cost www.cbpp.org/blog/the-tru...
The Trump Administration Can and Should Take Available Steps to Ensure SNAP Participants Get November Food Benefits
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has indicated, and media have reported, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will run out of funding for SNAP food assistance for November as a result...
www.cbpp.org
October 20, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Brooke Rollins is running around saying SNAP will run out of money November 1 when the administration could release emergency funds to cover two-thirds of the cost www.cbpp.org/blog/the-tru...
Reposted by Danny Mintz
These are real people facing real consequences if Congress doesn’t act to extend the enhancements ASAP. M.M., an IT consultant, would be forced to cut back on groceries and medications like insulin to treat their diabetes. (3/4)
October 20, 2025 at 1:53 PM
These are real people facing real consequences if Congress doesn’t act to extend the enhancements ASAP. M.M., an IT consultant, would be forced to cut back on groceries and medications like insulin to treat their diabetes. (3/4)
Reposted by Danny Mintz
This is good reporting on the disaster in Alaska if you're looking for a reliable summary.
This is a bigger disaster than I think most are realizing. 1500 people have been displaced by the flooding with an exceptionally complicated response and recovery.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5kz...
This is a bigger disaster than I think most are realizing. 1500 people have been displaced by the flooding with an exceptionally complicated response and recovery.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5kz...
Rescue crews airlift hundreds out of rural Alaskan villages after powerful storm
YouTube video by PBS NewsHour
www.youtube.com
October 17, 2025 at 11:31 AM
This is good reporting on the disaster in Alaska if you're looking for a reliable summary.
This is a bigger disaster than I think most are realizing. 1500 people have been displaced by the flooding with an exceptionally complicated response and recovery.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5kz...
This is a bigger disaster than I think most are realizing. 1500 people have been displaced by the flooding with an exceptionally complicated response and recovery.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5kz...
Reposted by Danny Mintz
Part of what’s happened is that as (neoliberalism, if you prefer) our political theory of governance starves one part of the social safety net, people flee to the other parts. Disability claims is, for a lot of people, an onerous, right to get last stop on a train heading for a brick wall.
Exclusive: The Trump administration is preparing a plan that will make it harder for older Americans to qualify for Social Security disability payments, part of an overhaul that could result in hundreds of thousands of people losing benefits.
Trump plan would limit disability benefits for older Americans
Trump administration officials are considering eliminating age as a factor in deciding whether someone is capable of working.
wapo.st
October 6, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Part of what’s happened is that as (neoliberalism, if you prefer) our political theory of governance starves one part of the social safety net, people flee to the other parts. Disability claims is, for a lot of people, an onerous, right to get last stop on a train heading for a brick wall.
Reposted by Danny Mintz
REMINDER: Mike Johnson's district has ~40,000 #ACA market enrollees.
A single parent earning $40K/yr could see their net premiums more than TRIPLE.
acasignups.net/ira-subsidy-...
A single parent earning $40K/yr could see their net premiums more than TRIPLE.
acasignups.net/ira-subsidy-...
October 3, 2025 at 3:36 PM
REMINDER: Mike Johnson's district has ~40,000 #ACA market enrollees.
A single parent earning $40K/yr could see their net premiums more than TRIPLE.
acasignups.net/ira-subsidy-...
A single parent earning $40K/yr could see their net premiums more than TRIPLE.
acasignups.net/ira-subsidy-...
Reposted by Danny Mintz
What is the SNAP poison pill? Weaponizing an obscure administrative metric: error rates.
Errors are inevitable because Congress designed a policy that’s impossible to administer perfectly. Nevertheless, states will now pay between 5-15% of their SNAP budget if their error rates go above 6%.
Errors are inevitable because Congress designed a policy that’s impossible to administer perfectly. Nevertheless, states will now pay between 5-15% of their SNAP budget if their error rates go above 6%.
October 1, 2025 at 2:44 PM
What is the SNAP poison pill? Weaponizing an obscure administrative metric: error rates.
Errors are inevitable because Congress designed a policy that’s impossible to administer perfectly. Nevertheless, states will now pay between 5-15% of their SNAP budget if their error rates go above 6%.
Errors are inevitable because Congress designed a policy that’s impossible to administer perfectly. Nevertheless, states will now pay between 5-15% of their SNAP budget if their error rates go above 6%.
Reposted by Danny Mintz
Today's the last day for 150K+ feds who took the "Fork" (deferred resignation program), including 800+ at the Social Security Administration.
The experience at SSA demonstrates 3 things about the DRP:
1. It's the tip of the iceberg
2. It wasn't really voluntary
3. It hurts service to the public
The experience at SSA demonstrates 3 things about the DRP:
1. It's the tip of the iceberg
2. It wasn't really voluntary
3. It hurts service to the public
September 30, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Today's the last day for 150K+ feds who took the "Fork" (deferred resignation program), including 800+ at the Social Security Administration.
The experience at SSA demonstrates 3 things about the DRP:
1. It's the tip of the iceberg
2. It wasn't really voluntary
3. It hurts service to the public
The experience at SSA demonstrates 3 things about the DRP:
1. It's the tip of the iceberg
2. It wasn't really voluntary
3. It hurts service to the public
Reposted by Danny Mintz
Trump administration cancels annual hunger survey
The government has been measuring food insecurity since the mid-1990s, but now says the report has become ‘overly politicized’
The government has been measuring food insecurity since the mid-1990s, but now says the report has become ‘overly politicized’
Exclusive | Trump Administration Cancels Annual Hunger Survey
The government has been measuring food insecurity since the mid-1990s, but now says the report has become “overly politicized.”
www.wsj.com
September 20, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Trump administration cancels annual hunger survey
The government has been measuring food insecurity since the mid-1990s, but now says the report has become ‘overly politicized’
The government has been measuring food insecurity since the mid-1990s, but now says the report has become ‘overly politicized’
Reposted by Danny Mintz
"Food banks have been operating at superhero rates. It’s not sustainable. No sort of food bank, no sort of philanthropy, can meet the need or fill in the gap that the federal government is taking away.” www.the-sun.com/money/152047...
SNAP crackdown looms with new rules and state shakeups cutting millions from aid
MILLIONS of Americans are now at risk of losing their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits after the government announced a major revamp. The United States Department of …
www.the-sun.com
September 17, 2025 at 5:24 PM
"Food banks have been operating at superhero rates. It’s not sustainable. No sort of food bank, no sort of philanthropy, can meet the need or fill in the gap that the federal government is taking away.” www.the-sun.com/money/152047...
Reposted by Danny Mintz
More than 1 in 4 workers without jobs have been unemployed for at least six months, new data shows.
That number is a post-pandemic high and a level typically only seen during periods of economic turmoil.
That number is a post-pandemic high and a level typically only seen during periods of economic turmoil.
Long-term unemployment at post-pandemic high, straining workers and economy
The US economy is seeing a rise in long-term unemployment, with over 1.9 million Americans out of work for 27 weeks or more, sparking concerns about the labor market.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 15, 2025 at 4:30 PM
More than 1 in 4 workers without jobs have been unemployed for at least six months, new data shows.
That number is a post-pandemic high and a level typically only seen during periods of economic turmoil.
That number is a post-pandemic high and a level typically only seen during periods of economic turmoil.
Reposted by Danny Mintz
i have said this before but when “getting rid of race in admissions” for the administration means “you can’t even try to reach out to underrepresented communities and encourage them to apply and if you do it is illegal discrimination against white people” then the actual goal here is segregation
Harvard Ends Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program as Trump Targets Race in Admissions | News | The Harvard Crimson
By ending the minority recruitment program in May, Harvard shuttered a more than 50-year-old initiative to encourage minority high school students to apply.
www.thecrimson.com
September 15, 2025 at 12:16 PM
i have said this before but when “getting rid of race in admissions” for the administration means “you can’t even try to reach out to underrepresented communities and encourage them to apply and if you do it is illegal discrimination against white people” then the actual goal here is segregation
Reposted by Danny Mintz
More on how Social Security has managed to bring disability backlogs down this year, despite *everything*:
1. The disability determination staff who process applications are state employees & were not subject to the DOGE efforts earlier this year that pushed out thousands of SSA staff.
1. The disability determination staff who process applications are state employees & were not subject to the DOGE efforts earlier this year that pushed out thousands of SSA staff.
New from @jsmalligan.bsky.social:
SSA has been bragging about reducing the backlogs in processing disability applications.
But this trend is largely due to a significant decrease in applications--and in recent months, the agency is denying more claims.
www.urban.org/urban-wire/s...
SSA has been bragging about reducing the backlogs in processing disability applications.
But this trend is largely due to a significant decrease in applications--and in recent months, the agency is denying more claims.
www.urban.org/urban-wire/s...
The SSA Says It’s Reduced the Disability Claims Backlog. Fewer New Claims and a Higher Denial Rate Could Be Driving the Reduction
To better understand what’s driving a decrease in claims and increase in denials, the Social Security Administration could invest more in the research and st…
www.urban.org
September 12, 2025 at 8:28 PM
More on how Social Security has managed to bring disability backlogs down this year, despite *everything*:
1. The disability determination staff who process applications are state employees & were not subject to the DOGE efforts earlier this year that pushed out thousands of SSA staff.
1. The disability determination staff who process applications are state employees & were not subject to the DOGE efforts earlier this year that pushed out thousands of SSA staff.
Reposted by Danny Mintz
The Pitt has plans to tackle stories next season related to federal health care cuts. I've got some ideas in a new column out in @jama.com.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
September 11, 2025 at 7:04 PM
The Pitt has plans to tackle stories next season related to federal health care cuts. I've got some ideas in a new column out in @jama.com.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Reposted by Danny Mintz
At least seven historically Black colleges and universities across the South received threats Thursday that caused lockdowns and closures. via @wwno.org
Southern University, other HBCUs close due to ‘potential threat’
Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge will be closed through the weekend after officials called a lockdown Thursday morning due to a “potential threat.”
www.wwno.org
September 11, 2025 at 8:11 PM
At least seven historically Black colleges and universities across the South received threats Thursday that caused lockdowns and closures. via @wwno.org
Reposted by Danny Mintz
"Since the Affordable Care Act passed...every single one of the funding mechanisms to help offset the cost of the bill has been repealed...The individual mandate is gone. Most of the industry-specific taxes are gone. The Cadillac tax...is gone." -@jrovner
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?'
News Podcast · Updated Weekly · Join Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KFF Health News, along with top health policy reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico and other media outlets to discuss …
podcasts.apple.com
September 11, 2025 at 6:49 PM
"Since the Affordable Care Act passed...every single one of the funding mechanisms to help offset the cost of the bill has been repealed...The individual mandate is gone. Most of the industry-specific taxes are gone. The Cadillac tax...is gone." -@jrovner
Universal healthcare would be good for business.
WSJ, Page One:
“.. the fastest rate of increase since at least 2011 ..”
“.. the fastest rate of increase since at least 2011 ..”
September 11, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Universal healthcare would be good for business.