More than 40 million Americans who utilize SNAP, otherwise known as food stamps, are at risk of losing the benefit this weekend as the government shutdown passes its one-month mark.
Beginning November 1, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is expected to run out and despite lawmakers and advocacy groups pushing for the Department of Agriculture to tap into contingency funds, the government said it cannot.
President Donald Trump’s administration asserts it cannot legally utilize the more than $5 billion in emergency funding – a claim that contradicts earlier guidance as well as contingency plans from previous government shutdowns.
A federal judge is expected to rule on whether or not the government is obligated to pay out SNAP benefits.
Friday morning, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins maintained that position while also criticizing the Biden administration’s expansion of SNAP.
Trump, meanwhile, has doubled down on criticism of Democrats, calling them “Crazed Lunatics that have lost all sense of WISDOM and REALITY.”
Hearing today for another lawsuit over SNAP benefits
While we await a decision from Judge Indira Talwani on whether the USDA must release emergency funds to keep SNAP partially afloat, another judge in Rhode Island will hear arguments today in a nearly identical lawsuit brought by nonprofits, faith leaders and unions.
That could put double the pressure on the administration to act.
Federal judge could force government to use emergency funds
A federal judge in Massachusetts is expected to rule in a lawsuit between states and the federal government over whether the administration must pay out SNAP beneficiaries even after funding lapses on November 1.
“Right now, Congress has put money in an emergency fund for an emergency, and it’s hard for me to understand how this isn’t an emergency when there’s no money and a lot of people are needing their SNAP benefits,” District Judge Indira Talwani said during a hearing Thursday.
The administration has maintained that tapping into the emergency funds would violate the Antideficiency Act – which prohibits the government from spending money Congress has not allocated.
But questions over whether or not the administration has abided by that have been swirling since they said they would find money to pay military troops.
Agriculture Secretary joins Johnson for daily briefing
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins joined Speaker Mike Johnson at his daily shutdown briefing to repeat Republicans’ talking points – blaming Democrats and denying the department can access contingency funding for SNAP.
Government shutdown offers schools a glimpse of life without an Education Department
Much of the Education Department’s work has gone completely cold. No new grants are being awarded, and civil rights investigations have been halted. Money is still flowing for key programs, but in many respects, schools and states are on their own.
In a recent social media post, McMahon said the shutdown proves her department is unnecessary. “Two weeks in, millions of American students are still going to school, teachers are getting paid, and schools are operating as normal,” McMahon wrote.
Top Trump officials Miller, Noem and Rubio adopt bunker mentality with housing reserved for military officers
Why are members of the administration moving into housing typically reserved for the U.S. military’s top brass?
John Bowden takes a look.
Marjorie Taylor Greene hurls firebomb at MAGA with plan to appear on The View
The increasingly rebellious Georgia Republican representative, who has broken with her party leadership over the shutdown, healthcare and Jeffrey Epstein, has announced that she will appear on ABC’s popular left-leaning talk show next Tuesday, when it is Election Day in several states.
“I don’t know how many things we agree on,” host Whoopi Goldberg said in response to the news. “But I know the one thing she and I and all of us at this table agree on is this should not be affecting the American people.”
Eric Garcia reports.
Trump-Putin summit in Budapest axed over Russia’s hardline stance on Ukraine
The U.S. has reportedly cancelled its planned Budapest summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, feeling that no progress can be made given Russia’s hardline stance on Ukraine.
Rishabh Jaiswal reports.
Breaking: FBI thwarted a ‘potential terrorist attack’ over Halloween and arrested suspects in Michigan, FBI says
“This morning the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a social media post Friday morning.
It’s not immediately clear where in the state or when the attack would have occurred.
Agents in Detroit were present in Dearborn and Inkster early Friday, but could not confirm if their presence was related to the attack plot, it has been reported.
Kelly Rissman has the latest.
Former Trump golf club worker mistakenly deported to Mexico by ICE, lawyer says
An ex-employee at one of the president’s golf clubs was forced to walk back across the U.S.-Mexico border after being put on the wrong plane and mistakenly deported by ICE.
Alejandro Juarez, 39, pleaded with officials and told them he had not been given the opportunity to contest his deportation in front of an immigration judge – a legal entitlement for such detainees – as he was forced back to his home country earlier this month.
Juarez, a father of two, had been in the U.S. since the early 2000s and reportedly worked as a server and food runner for more than a decade at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester, New York.
Mike Bedigan has the story.
Illinois governor begs ICE to pause Chicago operations over Halloween so families can celebrate without fear
JB Pritzker has appealed to Trump administration officials overseeing federal immigration operations in the Windy City, asking them to pause their activities to give children and families “a break” to celebrate a favorite holiday.
Ariana Baio reports.
