Overview
- Federal judges ordered the administration to use roughly $5–$5.25 billion in USDA contingency funds to keep SNAP operating during the shutdown.
- SNAP benefits paused on Nov. 1, and with estimates for a full month near $8 billion, officials say only partial payments will go out as legal and budgeting disputes continue.
- President Trump blamed Democrats for the shutdown on Truth Social and said he would fund SNAP if directed by the courts.
- Photos and videos of Trump’s Great Gatsby–themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago drew sharp criticism from late‑night hosts and politicians who called the optics callous as benefits lapsed.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the Mar-a-Lago event as an annual tradition and argued Republicans are working to reopen the government while the White House confirmed partial SNAP disbursements.