Working Lunch Podcast: Feds Threaten to Pull Funding Over Soda Tax

ORLANDO, Fla. — Align Public Strategies is a full-service public affairs and creative firm that helps corporate brands, governments and nonprofits navigate the outside world and inform their internal decision-making. Each week, the Align team discusses the top items impacting business models on its "Working Lunch" podcast.

On this week's Working Lunch podcast, the Align crew discusses how the U.S. Department of Agriculture is threatening to pull almost $90 million in food stamp funding from the entire state of Illinois over how Cook County's sugary drink tax is being implemented in places like Chicago. The team's analysis includes what this warning from the Fed means for other municipalities trying to pass a soda tax. 

Also in this episode, the Align crew checks in on the Fight for $15 movement, which shut down streets with protesters outside retailers and restaurants in the past. Whatever happened to them and why have they become so quiet lately? What's next for the movement? Fight for $12, maybe? Plus, the legislative scorecard from across the country, including key joint employer rulings out of D.C.

Editor's note: This podcast does not necessarily reflect the views of Convenience Store News.