Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Food aid for millions under shutdown threat

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On Politics

Wed Oct 29 2025

Kathryn Palmer | Politics Reporter

@KathrynPlmr

Happy Wednesday, Kathryn Palmer here for another day of OnPolitics. Let's dive in to today's top news.

Shutdown crisis to fund food stamp program, military pay

The longer the government shutdown lasts, the greater the pain for many Americans who rely on federal funding to provide pay and critical services.

On Day 29 of the crisis, senators are scrambling to ease the potential fallout for people who receive services, including military pay and the nation's largest food stamp program, SNAP, which helps feed approximately 42 million Americans. WIC, a program that provides food, education and counseling for mothers and young children, could also run out of money in just days, even after an emergency cash infusion earlier this month.

In response, Congress has begun proposing more standalone bills that, although they cannot fully reopen the government, would address some of these biggest pain points

Yet the efforts so far have been in vain. Several measures from both sides of the aisle – including bills that would pay federal workers and save safety-net programs from running out of money even as the government stays shuttered – have failed or are expected to fail, at least until party leaders change their minds.

A volunteer stands while waiting to load boxes of food into cars during a mobile food pantry at Saint James Presbyterian Church, weeks into the continuing U.S. government shutdown, in Littleton, Colorado, U.S. October 22, 2025.

Mark Makela, Reuters

A politics pit stop

•	What to know about WIC benefits, and who could be impacted if they could end in November like SNAP
•	Trump says deal with South Korea is "pretty much finalized," before heading into more trade talks with China
•	Poll: Trump approval rating has remained largely steady since mid-May, despite recent shutdown woes
•	A House GOP report is urging the DOJ to investigate all of Biden's executive actions in an autopen probe
•	Trump says the ceasefire deal is not at risk even after Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, killing scores of people

Trump says it's 'pretty clear' he can't seek a third term

After toying with the idea of running for a constitutionally prohibited third presidential term for months, along with recently saying he'd "love to" run for president again when asked by reporters, Trump is now backing off, for now, from further talk of a 2028 bid.

His initial comments on Oct. 27 raised alarm bells, leading Speaker Mike Johnson to say he believes the president doesn't have any serious inclination to attempt to defy the Constitution and run for a third term.

On Oct. 29, Trump conceded in a chat with reporters aboard Air Force One that the law is "pretty clear" against such a scenario.

"I would say that if you read it, it's pretty clear, I'm not allowed to run," Trump said. "It's too bad."

Which major cities are electing a new mayor next week?

Although 2025 is not a midterm or presidential election year, critical races are still being held next week on Nov. 4, including mayoral contests in several major cities across the United States.

They include Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York City and Seattle, representing a combined population of about 11.8 million people. Several of these races have attracted attention beyond their city limits, for interesting face-offs or for their potential to signal where some states and districts could be leaning as next year's midterm elections draw closer.

Here's a quick rundown of these races, including who is running and what is at stake.

Questions, concerns, comments? Reach out at kapalmer@usatoday.com.