Group 1: Stock Performance - Shares of Dollar General, PepsiCo, and The Hershey Company fell by 5.4%, 2.9%, and 4% respectively on Wednesday [1] Group 2: Legislative Impact - The declines in these consumer staples stocks are likely due to the House of Representatives passing a budget reconciliation bill, which may lead to cuts in Medicaid and SNAP [2][5] - The budget resolution passed by a narrow margin of 217-215, with a late push from President Trump influencing the vote [3] - The resolution preserves the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 while proposing $2 trillion in spending cuts, with the Energy and Commerce committee directed to make the largest cuts totaling $880 billion [4][5] Group 3: Consumer Behavior - Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP could pressure lower-income families financially, potentially decreasing sales for Dollar General, which derives about 60% of its sales from families earning less than $30,000 annually [7] - Lower-income families may reduce purchases of branded foods from Pepsi and Hershey, opting for lower-cost private-label items instead [8] Group 4: Economic Outlook - Analysts believe that cuts to programs benefiting lower-income Americans are likely, despite the budget resolution not specifically naming these cuts [10] - Austerity measures could negatively impact economic growth, with recent consumer sentiment surveys indicating a slowdown [11][12]