1. The SNAP programs are run by the states, with monies sent by the FedGov. If the states sense that FedGov is close to a situation where it is not going to re-imburse them, they will have various reactions. Some, like New York and California, will just keep pumping out SNAP cards, spending money like there is no tomorrow. But a state like Texas or Oklahoma might say NO to fronting the money for SNAP cards. So, at least early on, we might not see LA or NY explode. We might see Houston, Oklahoma City, or other smaller urban enclaves with high minority populations go first.
2. It might not even take a federal bankruptcy to trigger an EBT system failure. There are people who want the EBT system to fail. Consider the fact that the race-baiters believe that more suffering among "their" people might actually achieve their ends. Also, there are elements nominally on the side of FreeFor that might want to give the chaos an artificial push, to stop the federal entitlement monster.
A clever database hack in the state-level (but privately-owned) systems that process EBT cards could temporarily disable transactions on those cards. Such a crude hack would be found and fixed in a matter of days or a week, but if multiple states had their systems attacked at once, the MUY might begin to think the jig is up, and the rioting would start.
Such an artificial "push" might actually cause a WORSE result than an organic financial failure of the EBT system. The race baiters, whether they caused the failure or not, would be screaming at the top of their lungs for vengeance on their racial opposites.
3. Since there are so many people using EBTs, there has begun to exist a pattern that might be exploited by the forces of #2 above: On the night before EBT accounts are filled in that particular state, welfare dependents shop in large chain stores, and then wait for midnight for their "Obama Money" to appear.
These stores have an Achilles heel: their satellite network connection, which is used, among other things, for EBT card verification.
At several large stores in a strategically-chosen city, the operator need only disable the microwave dish on the roof a few seconds or minutes before midnight. This could be done with a standoff weapon like a rifle, or it could be done with a pair of wire cutters on the LNB cable at the dish, if roof access could be had. A very small remotely-detonated explosive squib could cut the cable, too. It could even be done with a private UAV.
The result will be the MUY immediately suspecting "whitey" or the GOP or whomever has denied them "their" benefit. The result will be immediate looting and rioting of the people lined up in the stores, and later, in the streets. It would be hours or days before the stores' uplinks were restored.
Again, the result might even be worse than an organic federal financial failure.
I do not say these things to encourage them, but if we do not face the situation and plan for it, it will overtake us.
You know, re: snap cards, it’s not even real money anymore. It’s just virtual numbers in a bank account somewhere.
If the various com links die, either because they are cut intentionally or for whatever reason, SNAP dies. No matter how good the states budget is, no matter if the state is sitting on a pile of cash a mile high.
Of course the ATM network is probably dead then also.
That’s when things get serious.