Overview
- Federal judges ordered the administration to maintain SNAP using emergency or reserve funds, yet payments still lapsed over the weekend as agencies work to restart disbursements.
- Roughly 42 million people rely on SNAP, and food banks from Washington to Houston report surging lines and warn donations cannot cover a prolonged shortfall.
- The shutdown began on October 1 and now stretches into a second month, with hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed and services such as air travel and national parks strained.
- More than 20 Democratic-led states have sued to compel continued SNAP financing, resulting in late-week court orders that keep the program legally intact but operationally uncertain.
- President Trump urged Senate Republicans to drop the 60-vote threshold to pass a budget, GOP leaders resisted, and polls show rising public blame on the president’s party as talks remain stalled.