Overview
- California and more than 20 states filed suit challenging the USDA decision to suspend November SNAP benefits during the shutdown.
- USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said contingency money runs only through the end of October, warning, "We are right at the cliff."
- California moved up $80 million for food banks and mobilized volunteers and National Guard units to move supplies to communities.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom invoked biblical teachings to argue the suspension reflects "intentional cruelty" and pressed for benefits to be restored.
- The White House rejected his criticism, with spokeswoman Abigail Jackson accusing him of hypocrisy and blaming Democrats for the shutdown; SNAP supports roughly 40 million people, including 5.5 million in California.