This spring for the first time since 1894, policymaking at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson is being conducted under a flag that does not include the Confederate battle flag. In November, in the wake of the George Floyd rebellion, voters overwhelmingly affirmed replacing it with a design featuring a magnolia blossom encircled in stars. Calling the acceptance of the new design “a solemn occasion to lead our Mississippi family to come together to be reconciled and to move on,” Gov. Tate Reeves set an expectation that change was in the air. But his recent move to cut off federal benefits that in April began putting cash in the hands of over a hundred thousand working households in Mississippi has left some residents of the state wondering if the new flag is just an empty gesture flapping in the breeze.