Tensions mount as SNAP deadline set to hit
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In today's issue:
▪ SNAP deadline imminent
▪ Trump draws questions with nuclear test move
▪ Dems’ redistricting response progresses
▪ Prince Andrew to lose royal title
Tensions are rising in both parties as more than 40 million low-income Americans are poised to go without grocery assistance starting this weekend when the government shutdown hits the one-month mark.
Families who receive financial support through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would normally receive benefits on Saturday for November, but those funds aren’t expected to be provided because of the shutdown.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has billions in reserve funds that can be used in special cases, but the department has argued that providing those funds in the case of a shutdown would be illegal. It said in a memo that it can only provide those funds during other events like natural disasters.
Democrats have rejected that explanation, and Democratic officials in 25 states have sued the Trump administration to force the USDA to spend the contingency fund, which has been estimated to contain between $5 billion and $6 billion. That wouldn’t be enough to fully cover November benefits, which are estimated to cost $8 billion, but the states argued it could cover a “significant portion.”
A federal judge indicated on Thursday that she would likely order the administration to distribute the funds, but they would take a few days to get to the states and then the recipients.
Republicans and Democrats have introduced competing proposals to cover SNAP while the shutdown continues, but the Senate adjourned on Thursday afternoon and isn’t set to return until Monday. That means Nov. 1 will likely come and go without families receiving the funding.
▪ The Hill: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) votes ‘no’ on motion to adjourn to protest shutdown.
Still, if the judge rules for the administration to release the funds, it could provide some partial, if delayed, relief and give senators more time to enact a longer-term solution.
Either way, pressure will rise for a vote to cover the program when the Senate returns next week.
The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that the looming expiration of SNAP benefits has caused Republicans to battle each other behind the scenes.
He reported that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) initially was supportive of passing “rifle-shot” bills to reopen parts of the government, but the GOP leader backed away from that after it was clear the White House and other Republicans didn't want to let up on pressure on Democrats to end the shutdown.
Rifle-shot bills are legislative carve-outs that would fund certain parts of the government, but Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have said their goal is to reopen the entire government.
Thune blocked a vote on a Democratic bill to fund SNAP and another food assistance program for low-income mothers and children on Wednesday night, accusing Democrats of playing political games and picking “winners and losers.”
But some Republicans are still pushing for a vote to fund SNAP, pointing out that a lapse in benefits would impact millions in their home states.
Meanwhile, passing any stopgap SNAP funding measure would require the House to reconvene after a month away, as Johnson has kept the chamber out of session during the shutdown.
The Hill’s Emily Brooks reports that House Republicans are becoming increasingly concerned with the amount of time the body hasn’t conducted business. A GOP representative familiar with leadership conversations said members should prepare for a jam-packed schedule when the House finally reconvenes.
▪ The Hill: “Republicans drag Zohran Mamdani into government shutdown battle.”
▪ USA Today: Is a turning point in the shutdown on its way?
TRUMP URGES GOP TO GO 'NUCLEAR': President Trump advocated for Republicans to go around any possible negotiations with Democrats by calling on them to invoke the "nuclear option" and eliminate the filibuster, allowing them to reopen the government by a simple majority.
"It is now time for the Republicans to play their 'TRUMP CARD,' and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!" he said in a post on Truth Social.
The president said he faced questions during his recent trip to Asia about how Democrats shut the government down and "why did powerful Republicans allow them to do it?"
The filibuster requires 60 votes in the Senate for most pieces of legislation to advance, with a few exceptions. Eliminating it would mark a major shift, and set precedent for the next time Democrats control the chamber.
But it's not clear if Senate Republicans, holding 53 seats in the body, would have the votes to change the chamber's rules. Thune has said he doesn't support weakening the filibuster.
Still, some Republicans have expressed openness to creating a carveout specifically to reopen the government as the shutdown has continued.
Smart Take with Blake Burman
It’s Halloween, so instead of some politics tricks, let’s go for a football treat. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) is acknowledging that the decision to fire Louisiana State University head football coach Brian Kelly involved conversations inside the governor’s mansion. Kelly’s buyout is $53 million. Landry told ESPN’s Pat McAfee he spoke with lawyers for one reason in particular. “All I cared about were the taxpayers of our state, and that contract binds the state of Louisiana,” Landry said. “If we have to pay $53 million and somebody else doesn’t step up to foot that bill, the state of Louisiana has to foot that bill.”
There are lots of conversations on both sides of the aisle right now in D.C. about how to potentially regulate the new world of college sports, as the athletes can now be compensated. President Trump even signed an executive order on the topic this summer.
However, a conversation in a governor’s mansion on the fate of the football coach is a new angle. Will this be a one-off in Louisiana, or are governors about to enter a world in which they deal with lawmakers Monday through Friday and then the scoreboards on fall Saturdays?
Burman hosts "The Hill" weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation.
3 Things to Know Today
1. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said no “sufficient” evidence to prove that Tylenol causes autism, softening warnings that he and President Trump made earlier this year advising pregnant women against taking the medicine.
2. Trump has set the lowest refugee cap in U.S. history, allowing only up to 7,500 refugees for the year. He directed for most of the slots to be reserved for white South Africans.
3. The Justice Department is investigating whether leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement defrauded donors during the racial justice protests of 2020, The Associated Press reported.
Leading the Day
TRUMP’S NUCLEAR TESTING: Democrats and peace activists are denouncing Trump’s order for the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing after more than 30 years of a moratorium.
Trump made the announcement just before his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea at the end of his Asia trip this week. He said the Defense Department would test nuclear weapons on an equal basis to Russia and China.
It came after Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin tested a nuclear-capable cruise missile and nuclear-powered underwater drone. The New York Times reports the tests Putin confirmed Wednesday did not involve a detonation, and a Kremlin spokesman told Russian news agencies he hoped Trump had been properly briefed on the tests. Russia would respond in kind if another country resumed nuclear testing for the first time since the 1990s, he said.
China has also doubled the size of its nuclear arsenal in the past five years, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, but it hasn’t conducted a nuclear weapons test since 1996. Of the world’s nine nuclear-armed countries, only North Korea has tested a nuclear weapon since 1998, according to an analysis last year from the Arms Control Association.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) slammed Trump’s decision to resume testing as a violation of international law.
Most countries around the world have joined the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty to prohibit nuclear tests. The United States has signed the treaty but not ratified it.
“It appears the resumption of nuclear testing would be a massive breach of international treaties that have been in place for decades,” Jeffries told reporters at the Capitol. “And it’s just another example of Donald Trump and Republican policies going too far [and] being divorced from reality.”
Peace organizations and advocates also criticized the move, arguing that it could restart an arms race with U.S. adversaries and take a long time to restart testing.
Daryl Kimball, the director of the Arms Control Association, said it would take at least 36 months before contained nuclear tests could resume at the former nuclear test site in Nevada.
“By foolishly announcing his intention resume nuclear testing, Trump will trigger strong public opposition in Nevada, from all U.S. allies, and it could trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by U.S. adversaries, and blow apart the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty,” Kimball wrote on the social platform X.
But Trump’s allies defended the move, with Johnson saying that testing would act as a deterrent.
“The commander in chief wants us to be fully prepared. We are the last great superpower on the earth. China intends to be a near peer-to-peer advisory to us. But in order to maintain peace around the world, you have to show strength, and that’s what the president believes in. That’s what he’s demonstrated over and over,” Johnson told reporters.
Johnson said members of the military would be willing to contribute to help make the tests happen.
If the tests ultimately happen, it would mark a significant change in U.S. policy, as former President George H.W. Bush started the moratorium on tests in 1992, one year after the end of the Cold War.
▪ The Hill: “Trump’s frustration with Putin goes nuclear, dividing Congress.”
▪ CNBC: Russia on guard after Trump’s renewal of nuclear testing.
DEMS FRUSTRATED ABOUT BOAT STRIKES: Democrats are also irritated following a classified briefing on the Trump administration’s military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
The Hill’s Filip Timotija reports that Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee said they weren’t satisfied with the answers they received about the strikes, and they remained unclear about their legality.
For weeks, the administration has conducted a series of strikes on boats that it alleges were attempting to smuggle drugs into the U.S., killing dozens. But the administration hasn’t provided evidence that the boats were smuggling drugs and hasn’t publicly revealed a legal rationale for the strikes.
“Our job is to oversee the use of lethal force by our military outside of the United States, and I’m walking away without an understanding of how and why they’re making an assessment that the use of lethal force is adequate here,” Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a former U.S. Army officer, told reporters after the briefing.
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) said administration lawyers were set to explain the legal backing for the strikes on both sides of South America, but “they canceled at the last minute.”
The strikes have come as tensions are reaching a boiling point between the U.S. and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. has increased its military presence in the Caribbean, recently directing the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group into the region.
That’s along with warships, spy planes, F-35s and a submarine that have also been sent to the area.
The U.S. has accused Maduro of being involved in the flow of fentanyl into the country, which Maduro has denied.
A White House spokesperson told The Hill that Democrats are pushing “bogus claims” about the strikes to distract the public and said the Pentagon has held nine bipartisan briefings on them.
But lawmakers in both parties have for weeks asked the administration for a legal rationale for the strikes and more evidence that those on the boats were smuggling drugs.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chair of the Armed Services Committee, said more briefings would occur.
DOJ PRESSURE: The Department of Justice (DOJ) is facing pressure to reject Trump’s request for a $230 million settlement for its investigations into the president, as critics note various ethics issues with the request.
Trump has portrayed himself as a victim of the department’s investigations into his 2016 campaign’s alleged ties to Russia, which were ultimately unproven, and his alleged mishandling of classified and sensitive documents at Mar-a-Lago.
But The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch reports that the decision about whether Trump should receive a settlement would fall to a group of attorneys who formerly represented him. And one former department staffer said most agreements from the department are for tens of thousands or at most hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“What is unusual here is the fact that the president is making a demand for money from his own administration, which raises all sorts of ethical problems,” said Rupa Bhattacharyya, who worked in the Torts Branch of the department’s Civil Division.
Beitsch reports that it’s the type of decision that would fall to top-ranking officials such as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.
Blanche served as Trump’s personal attorney, while Woodward represented one of Trump's alleged co-conspirators in the Mar-a-Lago documents case. Both signed agreements requiring them to recuse themselves from matters involving the president for one year.
The department has said it would follow ethical obligations, and what progress has been made on the request is unclear. It has six months to consider a claim for a settlement, after which the party can pursue a claim in court.
But the department would have the same ethical issues in court. Trump could turn to Congress to ask for the money, but that would face constitutional issues, making the path ahead uncertain.
▪ The Guardian: Experts say Trump’s settlement request would be rejected if he were anyone else.
SENATE TARIFF VOTE: Four Senate Republicans on Thursday broke ranks to vote with all Democrats to repeal Trump’s global tariffs, approving the bipartisan resolution.
The tariffs that the resolution calls to repeal include those on long-time allies such as the European Union, Japan and South Korea. Republican Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Mitch McConnell (Ky.) voted for the measure.
The resolution almost certainly won’t advance in the Republican-controlled House, but the four senators’ voting to end the tariffs is still notable and relatively unusual in the Trump era. The same resolution failed in April in a 50-49 vote after Vice President Vance broke a tie.
The vote came after the Senate passed resolutions earlier in the week to end Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Brazil. Neither of these resolutions is expected to get votes in the Senate either.
The Republican Party had for much of its recent history been in favor of free trade with few barriers, but Trump changed its position after running on a platform of protectionism in 2016, arguing that other countries were taking advantage of the U.S. The GOP has mostly gotten behind his position since then, though a handful have remained skeptical.
▪ Politico: Farm-state Republicans reach their breaking point.
▪ The Guardian: Halloween candy prices rising from Trump tariffs, climate change.
TRUMP OFFICIALS MOVE ONTO BASES: Multiple Trump administration officials have reportedly taken up residences on military bases, filing spaces traditionally intended for military officers.
The Atlantic and The New York Times reported that multiple Cabinet members have moved into residences that until recently housed senior officers.
It isn't unprecedented for some Cabinet officials to live in military housing. But many Trump officials have made the move, limiting the availability of housing for top military officers, the outlets reported.
The officials include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
When and Where
The president will leave the White House at 10 a.m. to travel to Palm Beach, Fla., for the weekend. He will attend a dinner for the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The House will convene at 1 p.m. for a pro forma session.
The Senate is out today and will return to session on Monday.
Zoom In
REDISTRICTING EBBS AND FLOWS: Democrats’ response to the GOP’s redistricting moves received a setback in one state but reasons for optimism in two others as the battle continues.
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D) delivered a big blow to his colleagues’ hopes of redistricting by announcing that he would not move forward with the process, arguing the risk would be “catastrophic.” He cited concerns about the chances of success and the long-term effects on democracy.
“Despite deeply shared frustrations about the state of our country, mid-cycle redistricting for Maryland presents a reality where the legal risks are too high, the timeline for action is dangerous, the downside risk to Democrats is catastrophic, and the certainty of our existing map would be undermined,” he wrote in a letter to his colleagues.
Ferguson’s decision leaves efforts in doubt to redraw Maryland’s congressional lines and potentially pick off Rep. Andy Harris, the only Republican in Maryland’s congressional delegation.
But across the Potomac River in Virginia, Democrats are seeing more success, as the House of Delegates passed a constitutional amendment that would allow the state to redraw its lines. It now goes to the state Senate, where it is also expected to pass.
Timing is tight for this to get through, as Virginia Democrats will have to pass the measure first before Election Day next week and then again in the next legislative session to send a ballot measure to voters before the 2026 midterms. Legal challenges are also likely, but the commonwealth is a step closer to redistricting.
Democrats also may have caught a break in Ohio, which is the one state that is required by state law to redraw its lines before next year’s election.
Republicans on its redistricting commission offered Democrats a map that would only make two currently Democratic-held districts slightly more conservative, while keeping another Democratic-held district competitive. That would give Democrats a chance to win all three seats next year, as opposed to a potential map that could have made all three districts much more conservative.
Democrats accepted the offer, and state leaders seem poised to approve the new map, reducing the possible damage for Democrats.
▪ Axios: “Virginia judge lets Democrats’ redistricting plan move forward.”
▪ St. Louis Public Radio: Missouri Republicans learn redrawing lines isn’t easy.
TEXAS COURT RULING: The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that judges and justices of the peace won't be penalized for refusing to perform ceremonies for same-sex marriages.
The court reinterpreted in Judicial Code of Conduct, saying it's not a violation for a judge to "publicly refrain from performing a wedding ceremony based upon a sincerely held religious belief."
The decision most likely will have implications for same-sex couples, but the language was non-specific, potentially allowing for judges to refuse to grant marriages in other cases.
Same-sex marriage remains legal in Texas, but LGBTQ advocates sounded alarms from the decision, warning that it permits discrimination against the LGBTQ community.
It comes as the U.S. Supreme Court will hold a hearing next week to decide whether to take up a case that could lead them to revisit the Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
Elsewhere
ANDREW LOSES PRINCE TITLE: Prince Andrew has been stripped of his “prince” title and all remaining ones and evicted from the royal residence by his brother, King Charles III.
It came as pressure has continued to rise on Andrew over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and renewed allegations against him after the release of a memoir by one of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April. Andrew surrendered his Duke of York title earlier this month, but Charles went a step further in stripping him of the prince title that he’s held for his entire life.
“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” Buckingham Palace said. “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
The last time that a British royal had their title stripped was in 1919, when Prince Ernest Augustus had his title removed for supporting Germany during World War I.
It’s a stunning fall for Andrew, the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II who at one point was second in line to the throne. He stepped down from royal duties in 2019 amid Giuffre’s allegations against him and later paid an out-of-court settlement to settle a civil lawsuit she filed against him, though he didn’t admit wrongdoing.
He will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and is expected to move to a property on the king’s Sandringham estate.
▪ The Guardian: “King Charles cuts Andrew loose to save royal family’s repute.”
ISRAELI REMAINS RETURNED: The remains of two additional deceased hostages have been returned to Israel after brief fighting renewed days earlier over allegations that Hamas violated the ceasefire.
Israel positively identified the two bodies, officially bringing the total number of returned deceased hostages to 17. There are 11 bodies of Israeli and foreign hostages remaining in Gaza that are to be returned as part of the peace agreement.
Israel conducted a series of strikes on Gaza on Tuesday after it said Hamas returned remains of a deceased hostage that Israel identified as belonging to a body already retrieved earlier in the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this constituted a violation of the ceasefire and ordered strikes that killed more than 100 people, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry.
Hamas in response delayed the return of additional bodies as it accused Israel of violating the ceasefire reached earlier this month.
Opinion
What’s at stake for Trump’s agenda on Tuesday, via The Hill’s Chris Stirewalt.
Why the U.S. is losing the battle for hearts and minds, contributor Ilan Berman writes in The Washington Post.
The Closer
And finally … ???????????? Congrats to this week’s Morning Report quiz winners! They know some ~spooky~ facts about Halloween.
???? Here’s who went 4/4: Harry Stulovici, Stan Wasser, Gary Sensenig, Rick Schmidtke, Linda Field, Carmine Petracca, Mark Williamson, William Moore, Jess Elger, Jenessa Wagner, Luther Berg, David Faunce, Lou Tisler, Dennis Barksdale, Stanton Kirk, Robert Bradley, Sari Wisch, Ned Sauthoff, M. Whitehouse, John Trombetti, Steve James, Savannah Petracca and Elizabeth Prystas.
The annual Celtic festival Samhain is considered the origin of Halloween. It takes place from the evening of Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, marking roughly the halfway point between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.
The average pumpkin has about 500 seeds, but it can range by a few hundred in either direction.
As feels right for Halloween, there have been 13 movies in the “Halloween” film franchise, including the original series, reboots and the most recent movies in the past few years. John Carpenter, the director of the original 1978 movie, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier this year.
The most popular Halloween candy in the U.S., and my personal favorite, is Reese’s peanut butter cup. M&M’s came in second on DoorDash’s list, followed by the Hershey’s chocolate bar in third. KitKats, another Halloween staple, placed ninth.
Happy Halloween! Enjoy some sweets (and spooks)!