Overview
- President Trump hosted a Great Gatsby–themed Halloween event at Mar-a-Lago hours before routine SNAP funding ran out during the shutdown.
- The White House billed the theme as “A little party never killed nobody,” referencing the 2013 film adaptation of The Great Gatsby.
- Videos and posts from the party prompted criticism from opponents, with figures such as Gavin Newsom and Sen. Chris Murphy denouncing the optics.
- Federal judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ordered the use of roughly $5–$5.25 billion in USDA contingency funds to sustain food aid and requested status updates.
- The White House and Justice Department signaled caution about issuing partial payments without explicit legal authorization, leaving benefit continuity uncertain.