Bryce Covert

@brycecovert.bsky.social

Independent journalist writing about the economy. Contributing writer at @thenation.com. Send tips to [email protected] or on Signal: brycecovert.25 she/her

@katiebergh.bsky.socialReposted by @brycecovert.bsky.social

Criminals have been exploiting outdated EBT card technology to steal SNAP benefits from unsuspecting low-income families. Since December 2024, the victims of this theft have had no recourse & federal action to prevent it has largely stalled — for a deeply infuriating reason:

The main thing Congress has done about SNAP theft is to abandon a previous effort to help victims. The federal government had, since late 2022, been replacing people’s stolen funds, just as banks are required to do if your debit card is hacked. As a result, 753,929 households were compensated. In December 2024, a bipartisan spending agreement that included a provision to extend these reimbursements through 2028 was on the brink of becoming law. But Elon Musk, who had been named a leader of the new Department of Government Efficiency, attacked the legislation more than 100 times on X, pushing to “defund everything.” (Musk did not reply to a request for comment.) Trump then sank the deal. Victims of SNAP theft can no longer get any of their benefits replaced. And with the government off the hook for losses, there is now less incentive to put money into the solution.
@brycecovert.bsky.social

Lyft will pay $272 million to California drivers for misclassifying them as independent contractors from 2016-2020, the largest wage and hour settlement in state history. But Prop 22 means it faces no penalties for continuing to do so. www.fastcompany.com/91620939/lyf...

fastcompany.comLyft’s historic wage theft settlement fixes the past but ignores the futureThe $272 million settlement could compensate thousands of drivers for past grievances. But it does little to change the rules governing gig work today.
@adamserwer.bsky.socialReposted by @brycecovert.bsky.social

The Trump Civil Rights Division exists mostly to encourage racial discrimination rather than prevent it bsky.app/profile/carl...

Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social

HUD sent $WFC a letter "saying it would examine whether the bank violated fair lending laws by favoring Black or other minority homeowners, according to a copy viewed by The Wall Street Journal. @wsj.com www.wsj.com/finance/bank...

wsj.comExclusive | Wells Fargo Faces Regulator Probe Over Efforts to Boost Black HomeownershipTrump’s Housing and Urban Development is seeking to crack down on race-based lending, calling it a potential violation of the Fair Housing Act.
@brycecovert.bsky.social

What's extra enraging about these stories of workers getting killed or disabled by heat stroke is that it is so, so easy to prevent. Workers just need access to water, rest, and shade. Employers just don't want to do it.

@brycecovert.bsky.social

Also these kinds of EEOC settlements are usually kept private and the agency has to get special permission to publicize them. Trump's chair Andrea Lucas is obviously really excited to show them off.

@katiebergh.bsky.socialReposted by @brycecovert.bsky.social

Some states didn't increase state funding to make up for this federal funding cut, which could lead to staff shortages, backlogs & low-income families waiting months for help. Other states & counties are weighing property tax increases or cuts to other services to fill the gap.

@katiebergh.bsky.socialReposted by @brycecovert.bsky.social

SNAP update: Another cut from the Republican reconciliation law takes effect today, cutting the federal match for SNAP administrative costs from 50% to 25%. Every state now gets half as many federal dollars to ensure SNAP gets to eligible families on time & in the right amount.

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