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Tag: shutdown

  • After Republican election losses, Trump pushes lawmakers to end shutdown, filibuster

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    WASHINGTON — As the federal shutdown has dragged on to become the longest in American history, President Trump has shown little interest in talks to reopen the government. But Republican losses on election day could change that.

    Trump told Republican senators at the White House on Wednesday that he believed the government shutdown “was a big factor” in the party’s poor showing against the Democrats in key races.

    “We must get the government back open soon, and really immediately,” Trump said, adding that he would speak privately with the senators to discuss what he would like to do next.

    The president’s remarks are a departure from what has largely been an apathetic response from him about reopening the government. With Congress at a stalemate for more than a month, Trump’s attention has mostly been elsewhere.

    He spent most of last week in Asia attempting to broker trade deals. Before that, much of his focus was on reaching a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and building a $300-million White House ballroom.

    To date, Trump’s main attempt to reopen the federal government has been calling on Republican leaders to terminate the filibuster, a long-running Senate rule that requires 60 votes in the chamber to pass most legislation. Trump wants to scrap the rule — the so-called nuclear option — to allow Republicans in control of the chamber to push through legislation with a simple-majority vote.

    “If you don’t terminate the filibuster, you’ll be in bad shape,” Trump told the GOP senators and warned that with the rule in place, the party would be viewed as “do-nothing Republicans” and get “killed” in next year’s midterm elections.

    Trump’s push to end the shutdown comes as voters are increasingly disapproving of his economic agenda, according to recent polls. The trend was reinforced Tuesday as voters cast ballots with economic concerns as their main motivation, an AP poll showed. Despite those indicators, Trump told a crowd at the American Business Forum in Miami on Wednesday that he thinks “we have the greatest economy right now.”

    While Trump has not acknowledged fault in his economic agenda, he has began to express concern that the ongoing shutdown may be hurting Republicans. Those concerns have led him to push Republicans to eliminate the filibuster, a move that has put members of his party in a tough spot.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota has resisted the pressure, calling the filibuster an “important tool” that keeps the party in control of the chamber in check.

    The 60-vote threshold allowed Republicans to block a “whole host of terrible Democrat policies” when they were in the minority last year, Thune said in an interview Monday with Fox News Radio’s “Guy Benson Show.”

    “I shudder to think how much worse it would’ve been without the legislative filibuster,” he said. “The truth is that if we were to do their dirty work for them, and that is essentially what we would be doing, we would own all the crap they are going to do if and when they get the chance to do it.”

    Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) said last week he is a “firm no on eliminating it.”

    “The filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate. Power changes hands, but principles shouldn’t,” Curtis said in a social media post.

    As the government shutdown stretched into its 36th day Wednesday, Trump continued to show no interest in negotiating with Democrats, who are refusing to vote on legislation to reopen the government that does not include a deal on healthcare.

    Budget negotiations deadlocked as Democrats tried to force Republicans to extend federal healthcare tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year. If those credits expire, millions of Americans are expected to see the cost of their premiums spike.

    With negotiations stalled, Trump said in an interview aired Sunday that he “won’t be extorted” by their demands to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.

    On Wednesday, Democratic legislative leaders sent a letter to Trump demanding a bipartisan meeting to “end the GOP shutdown of the federal government and decisively address the Republican healthcare crisis.”

    “Democrats stand ready to meet with you face to face, anytime and anyplace,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both from New York, wrote in a letter to Trump.

    The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Democrats’ letter.

    “The election results ought to send a much needed bolt of lightning to Donald Trump that he should meet with us to end this crisis,” Schumer told the Associated Press.

    Trump’s remarks Wednesday signal that he is more interested in a partisan approach to ending the shutdown.

    “It is time for Republicans to do what they have to do and that is to terminate the filibuster,” Trump told GOP senators. “It’s the only way you can do it.”

    If Republicans don’t do it, Trump argued Senate Democrats will do so the next time they are in a majority.

    Democrats have not signaled any intent to end the filibuster in the future, but Trump has claimed otherwise and argued that it is up to Republicans to “do it first.”

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    Ana Ceballos

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  • FAA Reducing Air Traffic By 10% Across 40 ‘High-Volume’ Markets During Government Shutdown – KXL

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    An United Airlines flight arrives at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it will reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets beginning Friday morning to maintain safety during the ongoing government shutdown.

    The agency is confronting staffing shortages caused by air traffic controllers, who are working unpaid, with some calling out of work during the shutdown, resulting in delays across the country.

    FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency is not going to wait for a problem to act, saying the shutdown is causing staffing pressures and “we can’t ignore it.”

    Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said they will meet later Wednesday with airline leaders to figure out how to safely implement the reduction.

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    Jordan Vawter

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  • November SNAP Benefits to Be Paid to Georgians in Time for Thanksgiving Holiday

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    In accordance with the rulings of two federal judges on Friday, Oct. 31, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service will issue partial SNAP benefits for the month of November. The 35-day government shutdown was expected to force a delay SNAP benefit payments and impose politically induced hardships on individuals and families as they approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season.

    The suspension which was to go into effect on November 1, will not be enforced as  previously announced in an Oct. 28 online directive from the USDA, which stated: “Bottom line, the well has run dry … At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 1. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats.”

    The Trump administration maintained that it would not tap into its nearly $5 billion contingency fund to provide benefits to families receiving SNAP, but the court’s ruling to  orders the administration to tap into funds to continue funding the program through November. The administration previously said it had no plans to dive into the billions of dollars in contingency funds before the rulings.

    The rulings gave the Trump administration until Monday afternoon to decide whether to partially or fully fund SNAP benefits for November. A filing from Monday says that USDA will “fully comply” with the judges’ rulings and create a table “to calculate the benefits available for each eligible household in that State.”

    The USDA was essentially given two options: tap into the Section 32 Child Nutrition Program to fully fund SNAP benefits for November, or drain the $4.65 billion in contingency funds to partially fund SNAP for the month. The administration went with the latter.

    Nearly 1.6 million Georgians rely on SNAP food benefits and the program supports about 42 million low income people throughout the country each month by assisting them with payments for food. That assistance has already seen negative impacts by rising food costs. Adding to the negative impact of delayed payments and rising food costs, changes which have taken effect recently under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill reduces and in some cases eliminates payments altogether.

    The new rules decrease the number of Americans who qualify for SNAP by expanding the work exemption from 59 to 65 years old, and the childcare exemption now only applies to parents or guardians of children under 14 when it was previously 18.

    People experiencing homelessness and veterans are no longer exempt form the work requirement.

    “Many people in America are a single missed paycheck away from needing support from their local food banks,” Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, said when the shutdown started on Oct. 1. “A prolonged shutdown will deepen the strain, and more families will seek help at a time when food banks are already stretched due to sustained high need.”

    The government shutdown now entering its fourth week will cause November payments to be delayed. That delay will increase hardships on individuals and families as they approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season.

    Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents can only receive SNAP benefits for 3 months every 3 years unless they meet work criteria. , but pregnant individuals and those unable to work due to a physical or mental condition remain exempt.

    It’s important to check your state’s payment schedule to see when your SNAP benefits will arrive this month. If you’re an ABAWD, be aware of the new eligibility rules that could impact how long you can receive assistance.

    Check your state’s expected SNAP distribution dates for more details.

    Gubernatorial candidate and former Atlanta Mayor issued the following statement:

    Trump Administration, State Leaders Must Take Action to Stop SNAP Cuts for 1.3M Georgians

    23 AGs Sue Trump Administration to Make SNAP Funds Available; Georgia Does Not Take Action

    Today, 23 attorneys general from around the country filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration to compel the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use its $5.5 billion contingency fund to pay for SNAP benefits that are due to run out on Friday. The Trump administration previously used the contingency fund for this purpose during the 2018-2019 shutdown, but is currently refusing to do so.  

    Keisha Lance Bottoms, candidate for governor and former Mayor of Atlanta, issued the following statement in response to states’ action on SNAP:

    “There is no reason 1.3 million Georgians, including children and seniors, should go without food, but Donald Trump and Republicans in Washington would rather let them go hungry than do what is right.

    “I applaud the 23 attorneys general who took action today in support of providing these critical SNAP funds to states, and I am disappointed that Georgia did not join this lawsuit. Georgia’s Republican leaders should join Democrats who have called for immediate action to tap into our budget surplus to feed Georgians in need.

    “One out of every eight Georgians depend on SNAP benefits. It’s time for the Trump administration and state leaders to act to ensure SNAP benefits do not run out for Georgia families on Friday.”

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    Roz Edward

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  • Republicans block full SNAP benefits from being paid out this month

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    Senate Republicans blocked a push by Democrats to restore full funding for the Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP) on Monday, which has seen its resources run out over the weekend due to the ongoing government shutdown, according to multiple reports.

    Sens. Jeff Merkley and Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, put forward a resolution backed by 44 Democrats in the upper house demanding that SNAP benefits be immediately restored for the roughly 42 million Americans who rely on it to put food on the table for them and their families.

    The Department of Agriculture would have been forced to release enough funds to support the delivery of SNAP benefits for the month of November—an estimated $8 billion – if the measure had been passed.

    But the initiative was blocked by Republicans after Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso objected calling the move a “political stunt” and saying reopening government would be the easiest way to restore benefits, reports The Hill.

    This is a developing story and will be updated.

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  • Cannabis Is Another Industry Hit Hard By The Shutdown

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    Joining thousands of mom-and-pop businesses and American households, cannabis is another industry hit hard by the shutdown

    The ongoing federal government shutdown which began October 1, 2025 is reshaping spending behavior in several consumer categories — notably those tied to discretionary goods such as marijuana and alcohol. With paychecks delayed for hundreds of thousands of federal workers, and everyday Americans facing persistent inflation and rising costs, spending is beginning to come under strain. And with thousands of mom and pop businesses, cannabis is another industry hit hard by the shutdown like retail, grocery and dining.

    According to a survey by Ipsos in October 2025, a majority of people at every income level reported cutting back on at least one expense amid economic uncertainty, tariffs and the shutdown. Another data point from TransUnion shows that 52 % of consumers in Q2 2025 reduced discretionary spending — the highest share in months.

    RELATED: Making Your Cannabis Dollars Stretch During The Shutdown

    The shutdown’s direct ripple effect on consumer wallets is real. Roughly 700,000 federal employees are furloughed, and nearly as many working without pay — which means delayed incomes and fewer dollars available for non‑essentials. Even more broadly, the Council of Economic Advisers warns that a month‑long shutdown could reduce U.S. consumer spending by as much as $30 billion.

    For the cannabis industry (medical and recreational both), the implications are significant. While the sector continues to grow in many states, the shutdown is freezing key reform efforts — for example, regulation of hemp‑derived THC and federal policy remains in limbo. Concurrently, budget‑tight consumers are being more selective with how they deploy their discretionary dollars.

    Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Stringer/Getty Images

    While exact national figures for cannabis spending drops during the shutdown are not yet published, the confluence of reduced incomes + high living costs + regulatory uncertainty suggests a tightening belt is very much in play. Retailers and dispensaries in profit‑sensitive markets may feel the pinch first.

    It’s worth emphasising the income angle here. According to data from the Federal Reserve’s Economic Well‑Being of U.S. Households in 2024 report, 39 % of adults live in families with incomes of $100,000 or more. By contrast, the implication is that around 61 % of adults live in households with income under $100K. Those households are less buffered from shocks like a missed paycheck, rising utility bills, or price increases.

    RELATED: The Feds Foul Play Around Cannabis

    On inflation specifically, a note by RBC points out that Americans earning less than $100K have seen grocery prices rise 33 % since 2019, compared to 25 % for those earning more than $150K. In short: the under‑$100K cohort is both larger in number and under more cost‑pressure.

    Given this, it’s no surprise we see signs of belt‑tightening amongst this group. The KPMG Consumer Pulse Survey reports that “consumers expect to spend less across most categories this summer — except increases in groceries and automotive.” KPMG

    For cannabis vendors, this means a shifting consumer base: more value‑seeking, more conservative purchasing, more emphasis on cost‑efficiency (as the Fresh Toast article highlighted). Alcohol spending may also be more vulnerable. While long‑term data show alcohol consumption trending down in some segments, the immediate dynamic here is one of substitution or reduction: when paycheck‑uncertainty and rising rent/food bills dominate, spending on “extras” tends to drop.

    RELATED: Study Reveals Stance By Physicians And Public About Cannabis

    The shutdown exposes a deeper fault‑line: public policy and everyday economic reality are diverging. The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, has adopted a hardline posture on several fronts — including opposition to major healthcare subsidies, blocking full funding of federal agencies and resisting broader cannabis reform efforts. In doing so he appears detached from both: the majority of Americans who earn under $100K and are scrambling to make ends meet, and the broader public’s shifting views on medical marijuana and hemp reform.

    While polls show majority support for medical cannabis access and broader reform, the GOP Congress remains stalled. That impasse matters because for the cannabis industry — which is still suffering under federal ambiguity — policy action isn’t just nice‑to‑have; it’s a lifeline. The leadership’s lack of responsiveness to that reality sends a signal beyond the Hill: it tells everyday consumers, and businesses, that their pressures may not be fully appreciated by those in power.

    If the shutdown persists, we can expect:

    • Further reductions in discretionary spending among households under $100K as paychecks and benefit flows remain uncertain
    • Slower growth for cannabis retailers in mature markets, a greater emphasis on value plays and lower‑price substitution
    • Elevated risks for the industry as regulatory and policy advances are paused, making cost control and margin optimization more urgent
    • A heightened political risk for leadership whose policy stance appears misaligned with the economic burdens faced by a majority of Americans

    The shutdown isn’t just a headline about federal funding. It is a real‑world brake on consumer spending, a warning sign for lifestyle markets like cannabis and alcohol, and a reminder policy‑making ignoring everyday economic pressures runs the risk of being out of touch.

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    Terry Hacienda

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  • Pritzker’s muddled attack on Trump admin about SNAP

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    Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a vocal Democratic critic of President Donald Trump during the federal government shutdown, mischaracterized the Trump administration’s actions related to food aid for low-income families.

    “They’ve done something insidious, the federal government,” Pritzker said during an Oct. 30 press conference, responding to a question about the Supplemental Food Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, commonly called food stamps.

    Pritzker said — accurately — that the Trump administration had decided against using emergency funds to pay for SNAP during the shutdown.

    Then he added, “But they’ve done something even more insidious. They’ve decided to shut down the SNAP machines, so that they can’t be used.”

    That last assertion is inaccurate. The U.S. Agriculture Department did not say it would shut down machines that accept the cards that SNAP beneficiaries use to pay for food. In fact, SNAP recipients pay for their purchases using the same machines that all customers use for credit and debit payments. There is no such thing as a separate “SNAP machine.”

    The department had said it would stop paying monthly benefits starting Nov. 1 because of the government shutdown, which stems from the expiration of authority to spend federal dollars. But after a federal judge ruled that the government must continue to pay SNAP benefits, the Trump administration said it would use contingency funds to partially cover benefits. 

    Before the judge’s ruling, Pritzker issued an Oct. 30 executive order providing $20 million to Illinois food banks.

    The status of SNAP and questions about who benefits from the program have been a divisive issue during the government shutdown, which started Oct. 1.

    About 42 million people receive SNAP benefits. On average, participants receive about $190 a month for an individual, or $356 for a household. Recipients can use the benefits to buy fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, bread and other groceries.  

    Agriculture Department said households could continue to use prior benefits

    People receiving SNAP benefits are given electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, cards that are loaded with money each month. 

    Spokespersons from the National Grocers Association and FMI – The Food Industry Association confirmed that, regardless of the shutdown, SNAP recipients would be able to use any remaining balances on their cards, and the machines will continue to process those transactions.

    An Oct. 24 Agriculture Department notice to states also said households can continue to redeem benefits received prior to Nov. 1. That’s still the case.

    A Pritzker spokesperson confirmed that the governor was referring to the payment process at grocery stores and that, at the time Pritzker spoke, the federal government was not planning to add new funds for recipients in November. 

    Court tells Trump administration to continue SNAP

    After Pritzker spoke, U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island ruled that the federal government must issue the benefits during the first week of November. 

    The Trump administration told the court it would spend contingency funds to partially continue SNAP. The government said the $4.65 billion in the contingency fund would cover 50% of eligible households’ current payments. The Trump administration said it would send instructions to states. 

    After the ruling, Trump posted on Truth Social, “I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible.”

    Our ruling

    Pritzker said the federal government “decided to shut down the SNAP machines, so that they can’t be used.”

    Pritzker’s spokesperson said the governor meant that EBT cards would not be reloaded with new funding for November and that the cards wouldn’t work unless people had leftover money. 

    When the governor spoke, SNAP recipients were slated to have benefits halted. A subsequent court ruling prompted the Trump administration to say it will spend money from a contingency fund to give recipients partial payments for November.

    However, Pritzker provided no evidence that the government had a plan or intention to shut down machines that also accept credit cards or debit cards for all consumers.

    We rate this statement False.

    RELATED: Who gets food stamps? Viral chart misleads about SNAP recipients’ race, ethnicity

    RELATED: Keep your grocery carts rolling; Walmart is not closing to in-store shoppers Nov. 1

    RELATED: Food stamps: Facts to know as millions on SNAP face losing benefits during shutdown

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  • Federal workers’ union calls for unity amid the government shutdown – WTOP News

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    The nation’s largest union representing federal workers calls for solidarity among its members as the government shutdown surpasses a month.

    The nation’s largest union representing federal workers calls for solidarity among its members as the government shutdown surpasses a month.

    The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 820,000 government workers, held a special town hall Thursday with other union leaders to discuss how the organization plans to move forward as the shutdown continues.

    Everett Kelley, AFGE’s national president, said over 2,000 workers sent in questions to be answered. For timing purposes, only five of the most requested questions were answered during the event.

    “It’s a time filled with uncertainty, frustration and anger,” Kelley said, adding that the shutdown is testing federal workers “not just financially, but emotionally and morally.”

    According to Kelley, many federal workers are struggling to get by during the government shutdown without food to eat or a paycheck to pay their bills. Recently, he urged Senate Democrats to join Republicans in reopening the government immediately “under a clean continuing resolution that allows continued debate on larger issues.”

    During Thursday’s town hall, he reiterated that plea, adding that no federal worker should have to go hungry to “make a point to win a political fight.”

    “They want to pretend as if our livelihoods are nothing more than bargaining chips in a contest to see which party wins and which party lose,” Kelley said.

    Kelly Keating is the chair of AFGE Local 2065 and the Council for the Marine Corps Base, which represents civilian employees in Quantico, Virginia. She never imagined that representing federal workers would also mean locating food banks for employees, or calling sweet potato farmers for donations.

    Keating called for everyone in the town hall to call their congressional representatives and demand they end the shutdown.

    “We need to be reminding them of the oath that they took,” she said. “We need to be loud, and we need to tell them to do their damn job, and we need to do it every day.”

    The town hall provided updates on the union’s recent court cases, including a win in federal court when a judge in San Francisco indefinitely barred the Trump administration from firing federal employees during the government shutdown.

    Those looking for additional assistance were directed to the AFGE’s website, where there are links to a nationwide map with resources for federal workers, including food assistance discounts and financial assistance. Kelley also promoted hardship loans and shutdown grants through the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund. Lastly, those who cannot pay their union dues were directed to make a request with their local union chapter.

    Rounding out the town hall, Kelley called for members to stick together and push lawmakers to end the shutdown. Those who hadn’t joined the union that were on the call were encouraged to join, Kelley said, as with more members speaking together, change can happen.

    “We are the backbones of this country,” he said. “We need to remember that our power to win these fights come from our solidarity.”

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jose Umana

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  • Air traffic controller shortages lead to broader US flight delays as shutdown nears one-month mark

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    Continued staffing shortages in air traffic control facilities around the country were again causing delays at airports on Friday as the government shutdown neared the one-month mark.U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been warning that travelers would start to see more flights delayed or canceled as the nation’s controllers continue to work without pay during the shutdown, which began Oct. 1.“Every day there’s going to be more challenges,” Duffy told reporters Thursday outside the White House after a closed-door meeting with Vice President JD Vance and aviation industry leaders to talk about the shutdown’s impact on U.S. travel.The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing shortages were causing flight delays Friday at a number of airports, including in Boston, New York City, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, and Newark, New Jersey. Airports in Boston, Nashville, and New York City were experiencing delays averaging two hours or longer.Staffing shortages can happen at regional control centers overseeing multiple airports, as well as in airport towers, but they don’t always result in flight disruptions.Aviation analytics firm Cirium says flight data showed a “broader slowdown” Thursday across the U.S. aviation system for the first time since the shutdown began, suggesting staffing-related disruptions may be spreading.On Thursday, many major U.S. airports reported below-average on-time performance, with fewer flights departing within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure times, according to Cirium. The data does not distinguish between the different causes of delays, such as staffing shortages or bad weather.Staffing-related delays at Orlando’s airport on Thursday, for example, averaged nearly four and a half hours for some time, according to the FAA.Most controllers are continuing to work mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown without pay, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has said. That leaves little time for a side job to help cover bills, mortgage, and other expenses unless controllers call out.Duffy said controllers are also struggling to get to work because they can’t afford to fill up their cars with gas. Controllers missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday.“For this nation’s air traffic controllers, missing just one paycheck can be a significant hardship, as it is for all working Americans. Asking them to go without a full month’s pay or more is simply not sustainable,” Nick Daniels, president of NATCA, said Friday in a statement.Last weekend, a shortage of controllers led to the FAA issuing a brief ground stop at Los Angeles International Airport, one of the busiest in the world. Flights were held at their originating airports for about two hours Sunday until the FAA lifted the ground stop.Some U.S. airports have stepped in to provide food donations and other support for federal aviation employees working without pay, including controllers and Transportation Security Administration agents.Before the shutdown, the FAA was already dealing with a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers.

    Continued staffing shortages in air traffic control facilities around the country were again causing delays at airports on Friday as the government shutdown neared the one-month mark.

    U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been warning that travelers would start to see more flights delayed or canceled as the nation’s controllers continue to work without pay during the shutdown, which began Oct. 1.

    “Every day there’s going to be more challenges,” Duffy told reporters Thursday outside the White House after a closed-door meeting with Vice President JD Vance and aviation industry leaders to talk about the shutdown’s impact on U.S. travel.

    The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing shortages were causing flight delays Friday at a number of airports, including in Boston, New York City, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, and Newark, New Jersey. Airports in Boston, Nashville, and New York City were experiencing delays averaging two hours or longer.

    Staffing shortages can happen at regional control centers overseeing multiple airports, as well as in airport towers, but they don’t always result in flight disruptions.

    Aviation analytics firm Cirium says flight data showed a “broader slowdown” Thursday across the U.S. aviation system for the first time since the shutdown began, suggesting staffing-related disruptions may be spreading.

    On Thursday, many major U.S. airports reported below-average on-time performance, with fewer flights departing within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure times, according to Cirium. The data does not distinguish between the different causes of delays, such as staffing shortages or bad weather.

    Staffing-related delays at Orlando’s airport on Thursday, for example, averaged nearly four and a half hours for some time, according to the FAA.

    Most controllers are continuing to work mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown without pay, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has said. That leaves little time for a side job to help cover bills, mortgage, and other expenses unless controllers call out.

    Duffy said controllers are also struggling to get to work because they can’t afford to fill up their cars with gas. Controllers missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday.

    “For this nation’s air traffic controllers, missing just one paycheck can be a significant hardship, as it is for all working Americans. Asking them to go without a full month’s pay or more is simply not sustainable,” Nick Daniels, president of NATCA, said Friday in a statement.

    Last weekend, a shortage of controllers led to the FAA issuing a brief ground stop at Los Angeles International Airport, one of the busiest in the world. Flights were held at their originating airports for about two hours Sunday until the FAA lifted the ground stop.

    Some U.S. airports have stepped in to provide food donations and other support for federal aviation employees working without pay, including controllers and Transportation Security Administration agents.

    Before the shutdown, the FAA was already dealing with a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers.

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  • How much could the federal shutdown cost?

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    The federal shutdown — one month long and counting — has an obvious economic impact for government workers who aren’t receiving paychecks and food aid recipients who could lose their benefits Nov. 1.

    But what about the broader economy? History points to some effect there, too.

    In past shutdowns, estimates of lost economic activity have reached into the billions of dollars. In the context of a $30 trillion economy, that’s not a lot. But on the margins, economists say it can have an effect.

    The Congressional Budget Office, Congress’ nonpartisan number cruncher, released an Oct. 29 estimate of how much the economy could lose from a four-week, six-week and eight-week shutdown. The shutdown has already exceeded four weeks; if it continues, Nov. 12 would mark six weeks. 

    Here’s a look at the agency’s calculations — and some of the count’s possible shortcomings.

    What is the current shutdown’s expected economic impact?

    The CBO estimate says the federal spending delay will produce short-term economic losses — largely in the fourth quarter of 2025 — that will mostly be recouped during the first quarter of 2026, assuming the shutdown ends by then.

    CBO projected how much the shutdown would hamper U.S. economic growth per quarter, adjusted for inflation and multiplied by four, to convert a quarterly figure into an annual one. It estimated that a four-week shutdown would reduce fourth-quarter 2025 growth by 1% and an eight-week shutdown would reduce fourth-quarter growth by 2%.

    Most of this lost growth, CBO said, would be made up in the first quarter of 2026 — but not all of it. Between $7 billion and $14 billion would be permanently lost, depending on how long the shutdown lasts.

    Much of the permanently lost economic output would stem from furloughed employees’ reduced output, CBO said.

    The U.S. Capitol on Sept. 24, 2025. (Louis Jacobson / PolitiFact)

    Why might this figure be low?

    This estimate could be low because of what CBO assumes when making its calculations.

    The agency listed four assumptions in its estimate: 

    • When the shutdown ends, furloughed employees will be paid retroactively.

    • When funding resumes, “all the spending on goods and services that did not occur during the shutdown will be made up.”

    • Active-duty military and certain law enforcement will continue to be paid during the shutdown.

    • When the shutdown ends, missed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will be paid retroactively.

    In each of these cases, however, the administration has either proposed doing the opposite or has struggled to accomplish the objective.

    • On Oct. 7, a week after the shutdown began, President Donald Trump said furloughed federal workers should not necessarily receive back pay once the shutdown is over and that some workers “don’t deserve” it. The White House wrote a legal opinion claiming a 2019 law guaranteeing eventual payment for furloughed workers is not ironclad.

    • During Trump’s second term, his administration has regularly moved unilaterally to cancel spending approved by Congress. Some of those efforts have been blocked in the courts, but the shutdown has emboldened the administration. One example is its effort to defund the Gateway Tunnel project between New York and New Jersey.

    • So far, active-duty military personnel have been paid, and they are scheduled to receive their next paychecks Oct. 31. But the administration was able to do this only by shifting $5.3 billion from research and development funding, from a Pentagon procurement account and from an account created under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

    • The administration is fighting in court efforts to require the use of emergency funding to pay for SNAP benefits, which are otherwise set to expire Nov. 1. It’s unclear whether the administration would reimburse recipients retroactively once the shutdown ends.

    Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the center-right American Action Forum, said it’s fair to assume that if any or all of CBO’s assumptions ultimately prove incorrect, there could be a substantially bigger hit to the economy than what the agency now projects.

    CBO acknowledged in its analysis that “the effects of the shutdown on the economy are uncertain” and depend on “decisions made by the administration throughout the shutdown.”

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  • Judges Order The Trump Administration To Use Contingency Funds For SNAP Payments During The Shutdown – KXL

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    BOSTON (AP) — Two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must to continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown.

    The rulings came a day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the shutdown.

    The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. Word in October that it would be a Nov. 1 casualty of the shutdown sent states, food banks and SNAP recipients scrambling to figure out how to secure food. Some states said they would spend their own funds to keep versions of the program going.

    The program costs around $8 billion per month nationally.

    Democratic state attorneys general or governors from 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia, challenged the plan to pause the program, contending that the administration has a legal obligation to keep it running in their jurisdictions.

    The administration said it wasn’t allowed to use a contingency fund with about $5 billion in it for the program, which reversed a USDA plan from before the shutdown that said money would be tapped to keep SNAP running. The Democratic officials argued that not only could that money be used, it must be. They also said a separate fund with around $23 billion is available for the cause.

    A federal judge in Rhode Island ruled from a bench that the program must be funded using at least the contingency funds – and asked for an update on progress by Monday.

    A Massachusetts-based judge also gave the administration until Monday to say whether it would partially pay for the benefits for November with contingency money or fund them fully with additional funds

    It wasn’t immediately clear how quickly the debit cards that beneficiaries use to buy groceries could be reloaded after the ruling. That process often takes one to two weeks.

    The rulings are likely to face appeals.

    In a hearing in Boston Thursday on a legal challenge filed by the Democratic officials from 25 states, one federal judge seemed skeptical of the administration’s argument that SNAP benefits could be halted.

    U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani told lawyers that if the government can’t afford to cover the cost, there’s a process to follow rather than simply suspending all benefits. “The steps involve finding an equitable way of reducing benefits,” said Talwani, who was nominated to the court by former President Barack Obama.

    Talwani seemed to be leaning toward requiring the government to put billions of dollars in emergency funds toward SNAP. That, she said, is her interpretation of what Congress intended when an agency’s funding runs out.

    “If you don’t have money, you tighten your belt,” she said in court. “You are not going to make everyone drop dead because it’s a political game someplace.”

    Government lawyers say a contingency fund containing some $5 billion cannot legally be used to maintain SNAP, a program that costs about $8 billion a month. The states say it must be used for that purpose and point to more money available in a second federal account with around $23 billion.

    Talwani said her ruling would apply nationwide, not just in the states that are part of the challenge. That could defy the intentions of the U.S. Supreme Court, which has limited the use of nationwide injunctions, though it hasn’t prohibited them.

    Meanwhile, states, food banks and recipients have been bracing for an abrupt shift in how low-income people can get groceries.

    The majority of states have announced more or expedited funding for food banks or novel ways to load at least some benefits onto the debit cards used in the program.

    Advocates and beneficiaries say halting the food aid would force people to choose between buying groceries and paying other bills.

    At a Washington news conference Friday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, whose department runs SNAP, said the contingency funds in question would not cover the cost of SNAP for long. Speaking at a press conference with House Speaker Mike Johnson at the Capitol, she blamed Democrats for conducting a “disgusting dereliction of duty” by refusing to end their Senate filibuster as they hold out for an extension of health care funds.

    A push this week to continue SNAP funding during the shutdown failed in Congress.

    To qualify for SNAP in 2025, a family of four’s net income after certain expenses can’t exceed the federal poverty line, which is about $31,000 per year. Last year, SNAP provided assistance to 41 million people, nearly two-thirds of whom were families with children, according to the lawsuit.

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    Jordan Vawter

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  • President Trump Says Senate Should Scrap The Filibuster To End The Shutdown, An Idea Opposed By Republicans – KXL

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — Back from a week abroad, President Donald Trump is calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster and reopen the government after a monthlong shutdown, breaking with majority Republicans who have long opposed such a move.

    Trump said in a post on his social media site Thursday that “THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION,’ GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER.”

    Trump’s sudden decision to assert himself into the shutdown debate — bringing the highly charged demand to end the filibuster — is certain to set the Senate on edge. It could spur senators toward their own compromise or send the chamber spiraling toward a new sense of crisis.

    Trump has long called for Republicans to get rid of the Senate rule that requires 60 votes to overcome objections, dating all the way back to his first term in office. The rule gives Democrats a check on the 53-seat Republican majority and enough votes to keep the government closed while they demand an extension of health care subsidies.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune and most members of his Republican conference have strongly opposed changing the filibuster, arguing that it is vital to the institution of the Senate and has allowed them to halt Democratic policies when they are in the minority.

    Thune has repeatedly said he is not considering changing the rules to end the shutdown, and his spokesman, Ryan Wrasse, said in a statement Friday that the leader’s “position on the importance of the legislative filibuster is unchanged.”

    Broad GOP support for filibuster

    Even if Thune wanted to change the filibuster, he would not currently have the votes to do so.

    “The filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate,” Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah posted on X Friday morning, responding to Trump’s comments and echoing the sentiments of many of his Senate Republican colleagues. “Power changes hands, but principles shouldn’t. I’m a firm no on eliminating it.”

    Debate has swirled around the legislative filibuster for years. Many Democrats pushed to eliminate it when they had full power in Washington, as the Republicans do now, four years ago. But they ultimately didn’t have the votes after enough Democratic senators opposed the move, predicting such an action would come back to haunt them.

    Speaker Mike Johnson also defended the filibuster Friday, while conceding “it’s not my call.” He criticized Democrats for pushing to get rid of it when they had power.

    “The safeguard in the Senate has always been the filibuster,” Johnson said, adding that Trump’s comments are “the president’s anger at the situation.”

    Little progress on shutdown

    Trump’s call comes as the two parties have made little progress toward resolving the shutdown standoff while he was away for a week in Asia. He said in his post that he gave a “great deal” of thought to his choice on his flight home and that one question that kept coming up during his trip was why “powerful Republicans allow” the Democrats to shut down parts of the government.

    While quiet talks are underway, particularly among bipartisan senators, the shutdown is not expected to end before next week, as both the House and Senate are out of session. Democrats say they won’t vote to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate an extension to the health care subsidies while Republicans say they won’t negotiate until the government is reopened.

    As the shutdown drags on, from coast to coast, fallout from the dysfunction of the shuttered federal government is hitting home: Alaskans are stockpiling moose, caribou and fish for winter, even before SNAP food aid is scheduled to shut off. Mainers are filling up their home-heating oil tanks, but waiting on the federal subsidies that are nowhere in sight.

    Flights are being delayed with holiday travel around the corner. Workers are going without paychecks. And Americans are getting a first glimpse of the skyrocketing health care insurance costs that are at the center of the stalemate on Capitol Hill. Money for food aid — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — will start to run out this weekend.

    “People are stressing,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as food options in her state grow scarce.

    “We are well past time to have this behind us.”

    Money for military, but not food aid

    The White House has moved money around to ensure the military is paid, but refuses to tap funds for food aid. In fact, Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” signed into law this summer, delivered the most substantial cut ever to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, projected to result in some 2.4 million people off the program.

    At the same time, many Americans who purchase their own health insurance through the federal and state marketplaces, with open enrollment also beginning Saturday, are experiencing sticker shock as premium prices jump.

    “We are holding food over the heads of poor people so that we can take away their health care,” said Rev. Ryan Stoess during a prayer with religious leaders at the U.S. Capitol.

    “God help us,” he said, “when the cruelty is the point.”

    Deadlines shift to next week

    The House remains closed down under Johnson for the past month and senators departed for the long weekend on Thursday.

    That means the shutdown, in its 30th day, appears likely to stretch into another week if the filibuster remains. If the shutdown continues, it could become the longest in history, surpassing the 35-day lapse that ended in 2019, during Trump’s first term, over his demands to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

    The next inflection point comes after Tuesday’s off-year elections — the New York City mayor’s race, as well as elections in Virginia and New Jersey that will determine those states’ governors. Many expect that once those winners and losers are declared, and the Democrats and Republicans assess their political standing with the voters, they might be ready to hunker down for a deal.

    “I hope that it frees people up to move forward with opening the government,” Thune said.

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    Grant McHill

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  • Cannabis In Candy And Other Halloween Myths

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    Debunking cannabis in candy and other Halloween myths: what parents really need to know

    Curious about the cannabis in candy and other Halloween myths? Every autumn, a familiar rumor surfaces on social media and in group texts: “Someone’s handing out weed candy to trick‑or‑treaters.” But here’s the short version: no credible evidence supports the claim. What’s actually going on is a modern twist on a long history of candy‑tampering folklore.

    RELATED: Google Could Help You Pick A Halloween Costume

    Long before cannabis entered the public conversation, concerns about Halloween treats were dominated by tales of razor blades hidden in apples, pins in chocolates, or poison in candy. Those fears are largely urban legend.

    Where did it start? By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as candy production grew industrial, some doctors and commentators began warning food adulteration was a hidden menace. The shift from small‑scale confectioners to mass manufacturing fueled distrust of what lurked inside sweets. In 1959, a California dentist, Dr. William Shyne, distributed laxative pills to trick‑or‑treaters in candy coatings—more prank than poison, but it entered the lore.

    In 1970, a New York Times op‑ed asked whether the “plump red apple” might conceal a razor blade, feeding parental fear.

    The most infamous case came in 1974, when an 8‑year‑old in Texas died after consuming a Pixy Stix laced with cyanide. But the twist is the child’s own father, Ronald Clark O’Bryan, was convicted—and later executed—for planting the poison to camouflage a murder as a “random” trick‑or‑treat crime.

    Folklorists like Joel Best have traced dozens of reports of candy tampering from 1958 to 1983; but after investigation, none could be confirmed as a stranger’s random act of harm. Many turned out to be misattributed, hoaxes, or even children themselves adding dangerous objects and calling attention to it.

    Over time, the razor‑blade apple myth became a cultural shorthand for parental anxiety. Ironically, apples were once common Halloween treats (candied or caramel apples). But the myth contributed to their decline as mass “give‑aways.”

    RELATED: Best Ways To Reduce Your Halloween Hangover

    The razor blade story is far from the only tale in the haunted folklore of Halloween sweets. Some of the persistent legends include:

    1. Needles or pins in candy bars: Occasionally reported, but often traced to local pranks or “copycats” rather than sinister strangers.
    2. Poisoned candy or drug‑laced treats: Tales of cyanide, lye, or drugs in sweets persist. But documented cases of poisoning via “random Halloween candy” are effectively non‑existent.
    3. “Blue star” lollipop tattoos or poisoned tattoos: A variant rumor claims temporary tattoos handed out include psychoactive or toxic compounds—another version in the “urban legend about drugs” canon.
    4. Mass poison scares tied to other events: For instance, after the 1982 Tylenol poisoning scandal (cyanide in over‑the‑counter pills), public fear of tainted consumables spiked—including Halloween candy warnings.

    These legends flourish because of what folklorists call availability cascade—when a vivid fear is repeated often, people assume it must be true.

    Cannabis In Candy And Other Halloween Myths

    So where did the weed candy myth come from? It’s essentially a new costume draped over an old scare. As legal cannabis markets have emerged, the idea someone might hide THC or marijuana edibles in trick‑or‑treat bags has gained traction online — yet it fails under scrutiny:

    • No documented cases. No credible report shows strangers distributing cannabis treats to kids on Halloween.
    • Cost is prohibitive. Legal THC edibles are expensive under regulation and taxation—handing out full doses to many kids isn’t cheap.
    • Strict regulation and packaging. Dispensaries are required to use child‑resistant packaging, labeling, and maintain records—anonymously distributing to random children would breach every rule.
    • Severe legal risk. Distributing THC to minors is criminal; any plausible motive is overshadowed by the consequences.
    • Counterfeit vs. real product confusion. Some rumors mix in fake or illegal edibles mimicking mainstream candy, creating fear, but they are not part of regulated cannabis commerce.

    RELATED: Perfect Drinks For These 5 Classic Horror Films

    Derived from older tampering myths and amplified by digital echo chambers, the cannabis candy scare is a modern variant—but one without substance.

    A practical Halloween safety checklist might include: supervise routes, cross at well‑lit streets, have children wait until home to open candy, discard unwrapped or suspicious items, and of course, check for choking risks or allergens.

    The myth someone is secretly giving cannabis candy to unsuspecting trick‑or‑treaters is more frightening than factual. It’s a modern reincarnation of a much older folklore of tainted treats, one built on fear, not evidence. The razor in the apple may be a chilling image, but it remains a legend, not a reality. This Halloween, the real risk is not a phantom dose of THC—but a car, a broken sidewalk, or too much sugar.

    Let’s protect kids with real caution, not ghost stories.

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    Amy Hansen

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  • Making Your Cannabis Dollars Stretch During The Shutdown

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    Learn how to save and make your cannabis dollars stretch during the shutdown

    As the government shutdown drags on, its effects are rippling far beyond the halls of Washington. Federal workers face unpaid leave, small businesses see delayed contracts, and everyday Americans are feeling the pinch as essential services slow. Grocery prices have risen and rent, gay and utilities bills remain fixed so many people are finding creative ways to stretch their income.  Here is some help in making cannabis dollars stretch during the shutdown.

    RELATED: How Marijuana Can Heighten Intimacy With Your Partner

    Marijuana use has gained in popularity and has started replacing alcohol.  Cannabis consumers aren’t immune to economic pressures. With dispensary prices steady or slightly rising, maximizing the value of each purchase has become a priority. Thankfully, there are several strategies to help your cannabis last longer without sacrificing the experience.

    Photo by 2H Media via Unsplash

    Here are some practical ways to save money while still enjoying a buzz.

    Consider a Vape
    Vaping cannabis is often more efficient than smoking. Vapes heat the flower to a temperature that releases cannabinoids without burning the plant material, meaning you can use less for the same effect. Portable vapes also let you microdose throughout the day, giving a longer-lasting, controlled experience.

    Microdosing for Maximum Impact
    Instead of large sessions that burn through your stash, try microdosing — small, measured amounts of cannabis that provide subtle effects. Microdosing not only extends your supply but can enhance focus and creativity without overwhelming sedation. Millennials, in particular, are embracing this approach as a mindful way to enjoy cannabis while staying productive.

    Mix Methods
    Combine concentrates with flower. Adding a small amount of concentrate to your joint, bowl, or vape session can boost potency without needing extra flower. This “stretching” method is popular among budget-conscious cannabis users.

    RELATED: The Connection Between Country Music And Cannabis

    Store It Right
    Cannabis loses potency when exposed to light, heat, or air. Use airtight containers, store in a cool, dark place, and avoid excessive handling. Proper storage ensures every gram remains effective longer.

    Explore Infusions and Edibles
    If you legally have access to cannabis-infused products, these can offer longer-lasting effects than smoking alone. A little goes a long way, and dosing carefully can make your purchase last days instead of hours.

    While the government shutdown may be causing economic stress, savvy cannabis users are finding ways to enjoy their favorite plant responsibly and cost-effectively. By embracing vapes, microdosing, and smart storage, you can make every gram count — and keep your wallet and your high happy.

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    Anthony Washington

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  • Hemp Is Being Helped By GOP Senator

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    Hemp is being helped by GOP Senator Rand Paul, boldly tying government funding to hemp’s survival

    In a surprising twist of Senate strategy, hemp is being helped by GOP Senator. Randy Paul has positioned himself as the unlikely champion of hemp — threatening to keep the federal government shutdown alive unless protections for the industry are secured. With the Republican Party controlling the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives, this move shows how intra-party battlegrounds can shape policy and put unexpected players into the spotlight.

    RELATED: Immersive Events Redefine Millennial Nights

    With Republicans holding the presidency oand congress, the GOP nominally holds the power to end the shutdown. But power isn’t the same as unity. While GOP leaders are pushing to fund the government, the details of what gets included in the continuing resolution remain hotly contested. Sen. Paul has effectively leveraged that dynamic by tying the fate of government-funding legislation to the fate of hemp policy.

    Paul warned that unless the hemp industry’s interests — particularly around hemp-derived THC products — are expressly protected, he may withhold his support for bringing the government back online. According to industry coverage, he’s told leadership that “we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is I give my consent, and the hard way is I don’t.” The result: a fresh sense that even with unified Republican control, the party must manage internal dissent if it hopes to reopen the government.

    Back in 2018, the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 (part of the larger Farm Bill) removed hemp — defined as cannabis sativa with less than 0.3 % THC — from Schedule I drug status, opening the door for industrial uses and new product development. Since then, the hemp industry has evolved far beyond fiber and seed. Now, hemp-derived cannabinoid products — including gummies, beverages, extracts and even low-dose THC items — have flooded the market, gaining significant consumer traction.

    One of the key sticking points in Washington is the proposed language in appropriations bills that would redefine “hemp” by eliminating any “quantifiable amount” of THC or THC-adjacent cannabinoids. The industry argues that such a definition would effectively bury the current hemp-derived products sector. Paul, fending for his state’s hemp farmers, said a tighter definition would “devastate” Kentucky’s hemp economy.

    RELATED: The Connection Between Country Music And Cannabis

    It’s not just niche farms anymore. Hemp-derived products are moving into mainstream retail channels and becoming a consumer trend. For instance, Total Wine & More now features hemp-derived THC beverages and other innovative hemp products on shelves, marking a signifier of how widely accepted the category has become. Retail articles highlight that “mainstream retailers like … Total Wine … are joining the THC Beverage Retail Revolution, signaling that hemp-derived cannabis drinks have officially entered the mainstream.” The combination of broad availability and elevated consumer demand helps explain why Paul is motivated to keep fighting for protections — this isn’t a fringe industry anymore.

    Paul’s core demand: don’t let the appropriations process or continuing resolution sneak in language that guts hemp-derived products by redefining hemp in a way that would ban many existing products. Instead, he proposes that Congress delay sweeping changes, conduct studies, and give the industry breathing room. Marijuana Moment+1
    For the hemp industry — and for retailers — the stakes are high. A ban on “any quantifiable THC” could force many products off shelves, disrupt supply chains, jeopardize investments and cost farmers and businesses tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.

    Photo by traffic_analyzer/Getty Images

    For younger and middle-aged consumers, this isn’t just about farmers and policy wonks. Hemp-derived products tie into wellness trends (CBD, functional beverages), alternative consumables (micro-dose THC drinks), and retail culture (finding such items in familiar stores). The mainstream move of hemp means suddenly your local beverage aisle or specialty store might carry hemp-derived options alongside other lifestyle products.
    So when Paul threatens to use a shutdown as leverage, it’s more than politics — it’s about whether your next casual drink could be a hemp-derived beverage, or whether those products could vanish or shift dramatically in how they’re regulated.

    As the shutdown drags on and GOP leadership wrestles internal divisions, Paul’s blockade of hemp-related changes creates a scenario where even a party with full control doesn’t necessarily have full command of the agenda. If he holds out, the shutdown could persist until either leadership makes a deal on hemp — or until Paul relents.
    For hemp brands, retailers and consumers, the message is: Washington is watching. The definition of hemp, the regulation of THC-adjacent products and the channels of mainstream retail are all in flux. Millennials who have embraced hemp as lifestyle, beverage or wellness category should keep their eye on Capitol Hill — because their everyday options might hinge on how this fight resolves.

    In the land of majority rule, one senator is reminding his party control doesn’t equal consensus — and the hemp industry just became the rope he’s pulling on.

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    Terry Hacienda

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  • Democratic-led states sue Trump administration to keep SNAP food assistance funds flowing

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    A coalition of 25 Democratic-run states sued the Trump administration Tuesday to prevent billions of dollars of cuts to federal food assistance that are set to kick in this weekend.Democratic attorneys general and governors from 25 states and Washington, D.C., claimed in the lawsuit that the Trump administration was threatening “illegal” cuts to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program for 42 million Americans, “cannot simply suspend all benefits indefinitely, while refusing to spend funds from available appropriations for SNAP benefits for eligible households,” the lawsuit claims.The Trump administration has argued it does not have the power to use that pot of existing money — known as its contingency fund — to cover the SNAP program beyond Saturday, because of the federal government shutdown.”The contingency fund is not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists,” officials in the Department of Agriculture wrote in a memo last week.The risk of tens of millions of Americans losing food aid has triggered intense anxiety across Washington, as the government shutdown nears the one-month mark.Top lawmakers from both parties acknowledge it would be the most significant impact of the shutdown to date, with House Speaker Mike Johnson privately warning his GOP members on a call Tuesday that the pain was about to spike for everyday Americans.Senate Democrats have now voted 13 times to block a GOP funding bill because it does not include their separate demands on extending health care subsidies. But GOP leaders have refused to negotiate on the subsidies until the government reopens, leaving both parties in a bitter stalemate with no clear way out.Democrats have been unflinching in their stance, despite the looming Saturday deadline for the food aid. They argue that President Donald Trump has sought to “weaponize” the food assistance program, intentionally choosing not to fund the aid to pressure Democrats to yield.Fight over food aidShortly after the lawsuit was filed Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told CNN that there isn’t enough contingency funding to cover SNAP benefits for November, which she said would cost about $9.2 billion.”As of today, that $9.2 billion, we don’t even have close to that in contingency funding,” Rollins said. “We’ve got to get this government open.”She added that “all it takes is a yes on a continuing resolution to keep the government going, and to send that (SNAP) money out to the states.”A so-called clean continuing resolution would extend government funding at current levels. But congressional Democrats have opposed that because Republicans haven’t agreed to negotiate on the expiring health care subsidies.The White House referred CNN to the Office of Management and Budget for comment on the lawsuit. An OMB spokesperson said in a statement that “Democrats chose to shut down the government knowing full well that SNAP would soon run out of funds. It doesn’t have to be this way, and it’s sad they are using the families who rely on it as pawns.”Democratic attorney general: ‘This is wrong’The Democratic-run states filed the lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court. Court records indicate the case was randomly assigned to District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee who was confirmed in a bipartisan and unanimous Senate vote in 2014.Congress approved $6 billion for a “SNAP-specific contingency fund” in the spending bill that averted a shutdown in March, the lawsuit notes. The lawsuit also points out that, as recently as September, the USDA website identified these funds as part of its plan to keep the food stamp payments flowing in case of a government shutdown.North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, a Democrat, accused the Trump administration of using SNAP benefits “to play shutdown politics” at a news conference Tuesday announcing his support for the lawsuit.”The truth is the department has the money,” Jackson said, adding, “They are looking to ratchet up the pain in an already painful moment. This is wrong, and it’s against the law.”

    A coalition of 25 Democratic-run states sued the Trump administration Tuesday to prevent billions of dollars of cuts to federal food assistance that are set to kick in this weekend.

    Democratic attorneys general and governors from 25 states and Washington, D.C., claimed in the lawsuit that the Trump administration was threatening “illegal” cuts to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program for 42 million Americans, “cannot simply suspend all benefits indefinitely, while refusing to spend funds from available appropriations for SNAP benefits for eligible households,” the lawsuit claims.

    The Trump administration has argued it does not have the power to use that pot of existing money — known as its contingency fund — to cover the SNAP program beyond Saturday, because of the federal government shutdown.

    “The contingency fund is not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists,” officials in the Department of Agriculture wrote in a memo last week.

    The risk of tens of millions of Americans losing food aid has triggered intense anxiety across Washington, as the government shutdown nears the one-month mark.

    Top lawmakers from both parties acknowledge it would be the most significant impact of the shutdown to date, with House Speaker Mike Johnson privately warning his GOP members on a call Tuesday that the pain was about to spike for everyday Americans.

    Senate Democrats have now voted 13 times to block a GOP funding bill because it does not include their separate demands on extending health care subsidies. But GOP leaders have refused to negotiate on the subsidies until the government reopens, leaving both parties in a bitter stalemate with no clear way out.

    Democrats have been unflinching in their stance, despite the looming Saturday deadline for the food aid. They argue that President Donald Trump has sought to “weaponize” the food assistance program, intentionally choosing not to fund the aid to pressure Democrats to yield.

    Fight over food aid

    Shortly after the lawsuit was filed Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told CNN that there isn’t enough contingency funding to cover SNAP benefits for November, which she said would cost about $9.2 billion.

    “As of today, that $9.2 billion, we don’t even have close to that in contingency funding,” Rollins said. “We’ve got to get this government open.”

    She added that “all it takes is a yes on a continuing resolution to keep the government going, and to send that (SNAP) money out to the states.”

    A so-called clean continuing resolution would extend government funding at current levels. But congressional Democrats have opposed that because Republicans haven’t agreed to negotiate on the expiring health care subsidies.

    The White House referred CNN to the Office of Management and Budget for comment on the lawsuit. An OMB spokesperson said in a statement that “Democrats chose to shut down the government knowing full well that SNAP would soon run out of funds. It doesn’t have to be this way, and it’s sad they are using the families who rely on it as pawns.”

    Democratic attorney general: ‘This is wrong’

    The Democratic-run states filed the lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court. Court records indicate the case was randomly assigned to District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee who was confirmed in a bipartisan and unanimous Senate vote in 2014.

    Congress approved $6 billion for a “SNAP-specific contingency fund” in the spending bill that averted a shutdown in March, the lawsuit notes. The lawsuit also points out that, as recently as September, the USDA website identified these funds as part of its plan to keep the food stamp payments flowing in case of a government shutdown.

    North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, a Democrat, accused the Trump administration of using SNAP benefits “to play shutdown politics” at a news conference Tuesday announcing his support for the lawsuit.

    “The truth is the department has the money,” Jackson said, adding, “They are looking to ratchet up the pain in an already painful moment. This is wrong, and it’s against the law.”

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  • 1.4 Million Georgians Lose Out on SNAP Benefits Ahead of Holiday

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    More than 1 million Georgians who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not receive critical food benefits in November due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Georgians who usually receive payments between Nov. 5 and Nov. 23 should not expect to see payment until December.

    “Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the U.S. Department of Agricluture posted on its webiste. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 1. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats.”

    The Trump administration said it would not tap into its nearly $5 billion contingency fund to provide benefits to families receiving SNAP.

    SNAP supports about 42 million low income people throughout the country each month by assisting them with payments for food. That assistance has already seen negative impacts by rising food costs. Adding to the negative impact of delayed payments and rising food costs, changes which have taken effect recently under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill reduces and in some cases eliminates payments altogether.

    The new rules decrease the number of Americans who qualify for SNAP by expanding the work exemption from 59 to 65 years old, and the childcare exemption now only applies to parents or guardians of children under 14 when it was previously 18.

    People experiencing homelessness and veterans are no longer exempt form the work requirement.

    “Many people in America are a single missed paycheck away from needing support from their local food banks,” Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, said when the shutdown started on Oct. 1. “A prolonged shutdown will deepen the strain, and more families will seek help at a time when food banks are already stretched due to sustained high need.”

    The government shutdown now entering its fourth week will cause November payments to be delayed. That delay will increase hardships on individuals and families as they approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season.

    Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents can only receive SNAP benefits for 3 months every 3 years unless they meet work criteria. , but pregnant individuals and those unable to work due to a physical or mental condition remain exempt.

    It’s important to check your state’s payment schedule to see when your SNAP benefits will arrive this month. If you’re an ABAWD, be aware of the new eligibility rules that could impact how long you can receive assistance.

    Check your state’s expected SNAP distribution dates for more details.

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    Roz Edward

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  • Ken Paxton’s undercover operation risks law enforcement officers’ safety | Opinion

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    What kind of attorney general announces a supposedly secret plan before it’s over?

    What kind of attorney general announces a supposedly secret plan before it’s over?

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    Intolerable

    Ken Paxton is the most incompetent attorney general Texas has ever had. His announcement of an undercover operation to infiltrate so-called “leftist” groups proves it. (Oct. 12, 1C, “Ken Paxton is absolutely ridiculous. It’s because he’s losing”)

    Such operations should not be disclosed until an investigation concludes. Paxton risks endangering law enforcement officers. I hope the groups he’s targeting sue to stop his attempts to distract voters from his scandals.

    In 2027, he should be out of office. What he has done as an elected official would not be tolerated elsewhere.

    – John Davis, Fort Worth

    ‘Not for me’

    I agree with the Star-Telegram’s Oct. 12 editorial on Pride Kel-So (C6, “How Tarrant leaders should have responded to church pride event”). Tarrant County Commissioner Matt Krause, Judge Tim O’Hare and Keller Mayor Armin Mizani could have said simply that the LGBTQ-friendly event at a Southlake church “is not for me” and moved on instead of turning it into a controversy.

    I also appreciate how the editorial emphasized that Pride events aren’t inherently sexual and compared their level of innuendo to classic cartoons such as Looney Tunes. This comparison clearly puts things into perspective, showing how unreasonable it is to condemn events such as Pride Kel-So as inappropriate for children, when they’re no more suggestive than the cartoons many kids watch.

    – Marshall Carroll, Fort Worth

    Credit due

    I’m a proud liberal who always votes for the Democratic candidate in the hopes of building a better nation and society for our future, and I despise most of President Donald Trump’s behavior and actions. But he deserves congratulations for helping implement the hostage exchange in the Israel-Hamas conflict, and I hope he continues working to bring peace to the Middle East.

    Now, if he would stop using the U.S. military to patrol American cities, that would be nice, too.

    – Mark Bauer, Haslet

    Medicare reality

    Merrill Matthews wrote in the Oct. 12 guest commentary ”Medicare Part D premiums are soaring under Biden’s IRA now” (6C) that the average monthly cost now is $179.45 and is expected to jump next year to $239.27.

    My wife and I, age 71 and 77 respectively, have been on Part D for six years, and each pays less than $90 per month. No co-pays have suddenly appeared where there were none before.

    Matthews obviously has a political agenda, but it does not jibe with the facts of our cases.

    – Tracey Smith, Fort Worth

    Real impact

    U.S. Rep. Craig Goldman’s paltry concession of halting his paycheck during the government shutdown pales compared with the dark times that will be upon us with the implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill. (Oct. 10, 1A, “2 area congressmen pause paychecks during shutdown”)

    Goldman will receive back pay once the shutdown is over. Why doesn’t he offer to really make a difference by putting it into a fund l to help the thousands of his constituents who will lose Medicaid and food-assistance benefits?

    – Preston Matthiesen, Fort Worth

    Leftist wishes

    Senate Democrats have fully exposed their true colors, voting many times to keep the government shut down. This is a crisis intentionally created by Democrats to hold the American people hostage for a left-wing wish list. .

    For weeks, Democrats have put their priorities ahead of hardworking Americans. President Donald Trump and budget director Russ Vought are using every tool they can to secure pay for our troops, Border Patrol, law enforcement officers and essential services.

    Texans appreciate Sen. Ted Cruz for holding Senate Democrats’ feet to the fire to pass a clean resolution to keep the government open. Trump and Vought are fighting to ensure the federal government serves the American people, not Democratic political games and interests.

    – Cyndie Lasher, Arlington

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  • Trump’s White House Trolls Democrats With Some Choice Website Updates

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    Upon navigating to WhiteHouse.gov, the official website for the happenings and history of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, users are met with a banner at the top of the page, “Democrats Have Shut Down the Government,” it reads, with an active timer tick-tick-ticking away, counting, to the second, how long the shutdown has been going on.

    Of an estimated 1.4 million government workers, roughly half are considered essential workers, and are currently performing their jobs without pay, while the other half have been furloughed. The government isn’t working at capacity, and the executive branch would like you to know exactly who they’d like to blame.

    Apparently, online trolling falls under the “essential” category, as a longstanding page about the White House grounds’ history was updated recently with renderings and statements about Donald Trump’s demolition and rebuild of the East Wing to make way for a very large ballroom, as well as a timeline of “major events” in the building’s history.

    The events highlighted on the page make sense at first, beginning with George Washington selecting the future site of the White House in 1791, the 1814 burning of the building and subsequent rebuilding, and so on. It’s mostly porticos and additions from there, welcoming the Rose Garden and the Briefing Room to the party, until you scroll to 1998, when the definition of “major events” takes an abrupt turn in the first entry after Richard Nixon’s bowling alley addition in 1973.

    “Bill Clinton Scandal: President Bill Clinton‘s affair with intern Monica Lewinsky was exposed, leading to White House perjury investigations,” the caption beneath an archival photo of Clinton and Lewinsky in the Oval Office reads. “The Oval Office trysts fueled impeachment for obstruction.”

    The next entry takes us to 2012’s “Muslim Brotherhood Visit,” describing President Barack Obama (informally referred to only as “Obama”) hosting members of “a group that promotes Islamist extremism and has ties to Hamas” and describes it as a terrorist organization.

    Lest you think the timeline is all scandal, users next see a recap of the biggest, most memorable headline to come out of 2020. If you think that’s the Covid-19 pandemic, try again. Of course, it’s Melania Trump’s South Lawn tennis pavilion, which “unifies the tennis court, Children’s Garden, and Kitchen Garden, enhancing recreational opportunities for First Families.” If that’s not major, it’s hard to say what is.

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    Kase Wickman

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  • 1 Million Georgians Lose Out on SNAP Benefits During Holidays

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    More than 1 million Georgians who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not receive critical food benefits next month due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Georgians who usually receive payments between Nov. 5 and Nov. 23 should not expect to see payment until December.

    SNAP supports about 42 million low income people throughout the country each month by assisting them with payments for food. That assistance has already negatively impacted by rising food costs. Adding to the negative impact of delayed payments and rising food costs, changes which have taken effect recently under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill reduces and in some cases eliminates payments altogether.

    The new rules decrease the number of Americans who qualify for SNAP by expanding the work exemption from 59 to 65 years old, and the childcare exemption now only applies to parents or guardians of children under 14 when it was previously 18.

    People experiencing homelessness and veterans are no longer exempt form the work requirement.

    “Many people in America are a single missed paycheck away from needing support from their local food banks,” Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, said when the shutdown started on Oct. 1. “A prolonged shutdown will deepen the strain, and more families will seek help at a time when food banks are already stretched due to sustained high need.”

    The government shutdown now entering its fourth week will cause November payments to be delayed. That delay will increase hardships on individuals and families as they approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season.

    Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents can only receive SNAP benefits for 3 months every 3 years unless they meet work criteria. , but pregnant individuals and those unable to work due to a physical or mental condition remain exempt.

    It’s important to check your state’s payment schedule to see when your SNAP benefits will arrive this month. If you’re an ABAWD, be aware of the new eligibility rules that could impact how long you can receive assistance.

    Check your state’s expected SNAP distribution dates for more details.

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    Roz Edward

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  • Newsom warns Californians’ SNAP benefits could be delayed because of federal shutdown

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    Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a stark warning Monday that food assistance benefits for millions of low-income Californians could be delayed starting Nov. 1 if the ongoing federal shutdown does not end by Thursday.

    The benefits, issued under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and formerly called food stamps, include federally funded benefits loaded onto CalFresh cards. They support some 5.5 million Californians.

    Newsom blamed the potential SNAP disruption — and the shutdown more broadly — on President Trump and slammed the timing of the potential cutoff just as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.

    “Trump’s failure to open the federal government is now endangering people’s lives and making basic needs like food more expensive — just as the holidays arrive,” Newsom said. “It is long past time for Republicans in Congress to grow a spine, stand up to Trump, and deliver for the American people.”

    The White House responded by blaming the shutdown on Democrats, as it has done before.

    Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said the “Democrats’ decision to shut down the government is hurting Americans across the country,” and that Democrats “can choose to reopen the government at any point” by voting for a continuing resolution to fund the government as budget negotiations continue, which she said they repeatedly did during the Biden administration.

    “Newscum should urge his Democrat pals to stop hurting the American people,” Jackson said, using a favorite Trump insult for Newsom. “The Trump Administration is working day and night to mitigate the pain Democrats are causing, and even that is upsetting the Left, with many Democrats criticizing the President’s effort to pay the troops and fund food assistance for women and children.”

    Congressional Republicans also have blamed the shutdown and resulting interruptions to federal programs on Democrats, who are refusing to vote for a Republican-backed funding measure based in large part on Republican decisions to eliminate subsidies for healthcare plans relied on by millions of Americans.

    Newsom’s warning about SNAP benefits followed similar alerts from other states on both sides of the political aisle, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned state agencies in an Oct. 10 letter that the shutdown may interrupt funding for the benefits.

    States have to take action to issue November benefits before the month ends, so the shutdown would have to end sooner than Nov. 1 for the benefits to be available in time.

    Newsom’s office said Californians could see their benefits interrupted or delayed if the shutdown is not ended by Thursday. The Texas Health and Human Services Department warned that SNAP benefits for November “won’t be issued if the federal government shutdown continues past Oct. 27.”

    Newsom’s office said a cutoff of funds would affect federally funded CalFresh benefits, but also some other state-funded benefits. More than 63% of SNAP recipients in California are children or elderly people, Newsom’s office said.

    In her own statement, First Partner of California Jennifer Siebel Newsom said, “Government should be measured by how we protect people’s lives, their health, and their well-being. Parents and caregivers should not be forced to choose between buying groceries or paying bills.”

    States were already gearing up for other changes to SNAP eligibility based on the Republican-passed “Big Beautiful Bill,” which set new limits on SNAP benefits, including for nonworking adults. Republicans have argued that such restrictions will encourage more able-bodied adults to get back into the workforce to support their families themselves.

    Many Democrats and advocacy organizations that work to protect low-income families and children have argued that restricting SNAP benefits has a disproportionately large effect on some of the most vulnerable people in the country, including poor children.

    According to the USDA, about 41.7 million Americans were served by SNAP benefits per month in fiscal 2024, at an annual cost of nearly $100 billion. The USDA has some contingency funding it can utilize to continue benefits in the short term, but does not have enough to cover all monthly benefits, advocates said.

    Andrew Cheyne, managing director of public policy at the advocacy group End Child Poverty California, urged the USDA to utilize its contingency funding and any other funding stream possible to prevent a disruption to SNAP benefits, which he said would be “disastrous.”

    “CalFresh is a lifeline for 5.5 million Californians who rely on the program to eat. That includes 2 million children. It is unconscionable that we are only days away from children and families not knowing where their next meal is going to come from,” Cheyne said.

    He said the science is clear that “even a brief period of food insecurity has long-term consequences for children’s growth and development.”

    Ted Lempert, president of Children Now, said a disruption would be “horrific.”

    “We speak out for the needs of kids and families, and kids need food — basic support to live and function and go to school,” he said. “So this could be really devastating.”

    Times staff writer Jenny Gold contributed to this report.

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    Kevin Rector

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