Overview
- SNAP payments paused on Nov. 1 during the shutdown, putting assistance for roughly 40–42 million people at risk.
- A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the USDA to pay benefits using contingency funds by Nov. 5, and a Massachusetts judge said failure to use those funds would likely be unlawful.
- The White House said it would fund SNAP if given explicit legal direction, and reporting Monday indicated November benefits would be partially funded.
- Guest videos showed a lavish “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” theme at Mar-a-Lago while reporters were removed, drawing sharp criticism from Gavin Newsom, Sen. Chris Murphy, John Oliver and Jon Stewart.
- An online claim that $3.4 million in taxpayer money paid for the party remains unconfirmed, with Snopes tying the figure to a 2019 GAO estimate for presidential travel and leaving the 2025 claim unrated.