How was everyone's Halloween?
I think it's safe to assume that President Trump is recovering nicely from his Great Gatsby-themed fête at Mar-a-Lago, where, hours before SNAP benefits lapsed for nearly 42 million Americans, guests partied in flapper attire. By Monday, following a string of court rulings, his administration partially backed down, agreeing to tap into emergency funding to keep SNAP benefits flowing.
That's a bit of positive news, for sure. But as I noted here, it's critical to remember that deep uncertainty remains; these payments will only be partial, and there is no timeline for their arrival. And perhaps more importantly, the Trump administration is still staunchly refusing to dip into other reserves to get recipients—39 percent of whom are children—their full payments this month.
Meanwhile, the vicious lies about SNAP recipients continue to flow on the right, and there is zero sign of progress in ending the government shutdown. We at Mother Jones will be sure to keep watching this high-stakes battle and the devastating ripple effects on our most vulnerable neighbors.
—Inae Oh
