Copyright Newsweek
Videos claiming that Walmart is shutting its doors this weekend over a lapse in funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have spread across social media in recent days. The federal government has been shut down for nearly a month as lawmakers have failed to pass a bill to restore government funding. A bill passed the House of Representatives but stalled in the Senate, where it must clear the 60-vote filibuster to advance. Republicans currently control the Senate by a 53-47 margin, and only two Democratic senators have supported the legislation. Democrats said they will not support the bill because it does not address their concerns about health care subsidies, specifically those established in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), that are set to expire at the end of the year. The shutdown extending into November would have critical implications for SNAP Benefits. Republicans say there is no way to fund the program if the government remains closed, though Democrats have said the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a contigency plan that could keep the program funded through November. The possibility of losing SNAP benefits could affect tens of millions of Americans and has left many people concerned about whether they will be able to afford groceries in the coming weeks, as the Senate does not immediately appear poised to reach a deal to restore funding. The Claim Many videos have gone viral making the claim about Walmart shutting down, ammassing hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok. One video repeating the claim that was posted to TikTok by @kavellkavon received more than 500,000 views by Wednesday afternoon. "Walmart said they're thinking about closing their doors on November 1 to where you can only order your food and your groceries online," he said. "The brokies made a threat toward Walmart and said that if the government shuts off food, SNAP, they're going straight to the Walmart to get everything they need. And now every Walmart has a police officer on standby and they're thinking about not opening the doors until this situation has passed." He referenced other TikTok videos in which users have claimed there would be looting at Walmart if SNAP benefits were to be paused. Another video posted by @UncutRealness, viewed more than one million times, made similar claims. The user said, "Ya'll keep acting a fool and saying what ya'll going to do when ya'll don't get ya'll SNAP benefits. Well Walmart has just released what they're going to do. Walmart said their doors will be locked." The Facts A spokesperson for Walmart confirmed to Newsweek that those claims are "false." "We will continue to be open for business," the statement said. It's unclear exactly what the social media videos were based on, as they did not point to any reports to back up those claims. The Ruling False. Walmart has denied that its stores will be shut down.
