EP: 84 // 31 Days and counting. Food stamps, Reindeer games and Healthcare Premiums increases.

On November 1, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food assistance to approximately 42 million Americans, will run out of funding due to the ongoing government shutdown, resulting in the suspension of the federal food aid program until further notice. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will also end Nov. 1. Governors and attorneys general from 25 states filed a lawsuit seeking to compel the Trump administration to use emergency funds to support SNAP. It argues that the USDA is failing to utilize the available emergency funds and is "unlawfully" suspending SNAP benefits, despite contingency funds that Congress has appropriated for emergencies like this being available. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that she does not have the legal authority to keep federal food assistance programs funded during the shutdown, as it would cost approximately $9.2 billion to fund SNAP in November.