Overview
- President Donald Trump hosted a Great Gatsby–themed Halloween event at Mar-a-Lago on Oct. 31, with the official tagline “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody,” as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other guests looked on and press were later told to leave.
- Routine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding ran out on Nov. 1 during the shutdown, leading to missed or delayed payments for many of the roughly 42 million people who rely on the program.
- Federal judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts directed the administration to use about $5–$5.25 billion in USDA contingency funds to continue SNAP, with one court requiring a status report by noon on Nov. 3.
- The White House says its lawyers need explicit legal direction before proceeding, and Trump posted that he would provide funding if the courts instruct how to do so, as Justice Department attorneys argued against partial payments while a judge said reduced benefits or shifting other funds was possible.
- Democrats denounced the party’s optics during a shutdown that has furloughed or unpaid federal workers, while a White House spokesperson blamed Democrats and urged them to reopen the government.