Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Remembering Dick Cheney

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On Politics

Tue Nov 4 2025

Kathryn Palmer | Politics Reporter

@KathrynPlmr

Happy Election Day! Kathryn Palmer here, bringing you the goods on what to know this afternoon as voting continues in several off-year races. I'll be bringing you a special edition of On Politics tomorrow to sort through the results. First off, the end of a legacy.

Dick Cheney, former vice president, dies at 84

Dick Cheney, the influential Republican figure who served as vice president to President George W. Bush, died Nov. 3 of complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease , his family said in a statement.

Cheney wielded more power as second in command than any before him, especially during the 9/11 attacks, ensuing invasions and years-long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He is remembered as one of the more controversial American political figures in recent history. He played a significant role in the Bush administration on matters of domestic and foreign policy and led a concerted effort to expand executive authority during the George W. Bush administration.

In recent years, Cheney was ostracized by the MAGA Republican Party after he criticized Trump for stirring up the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021. Last year, Cheney and his daughter, former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, made waves in the party when they endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris over Trump in the presidential election.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney speaking to Air Force personnel at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois March 21, 2006.

Jason Reed, Reuters

A politics pit stop

•	Top items from Dick Cheney's career: here are some key moments from a leader whose work straddled multiple administrations
•	Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is slated for a victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo: follow live updates on the New York City mayoral race
•	Congress has tied the record for the longest-ever government shutdown in history, and today, the stalemate reaches its 35th day
•	A video of masked federal agents hauling a woman from a car sparked outrage in Chicago, as Trump's crime and immigration crackdown in cities continues

Trump isn't on the ballot today, but he's on many voters' minds

Elections today in several states and cities could serve as a major referendum on Trump and Republicans.

That's because today's off-year races present the clearest opportunity yet for voters to make a judgment on Trump's administration so far, as it's the first time millions of Americans are heading to the polls since he took office for the second time in January.

In each race, whether it's for the governor of New Jersey or Virginia, or the mayoral race in New York City, or California's redistricting measure, Trump is evoked, oftentimes to galvanize his supporters or alarm his opponents.

And after a flurry of activity from the Democrats trying to counter the administration, including a barrage of legal challenges, mass protests and congressional pushback, the elections will also serve as a temperature check for the party as it gears up for 2026 midterm battles.

Trump says SNAP will be half funded in November

The Trump administration said on Nov. 3 that it planned to partially fund food aid for millions of Americans after two judges ruled it must use contingency funds to pay for the benefits.

Over the past few weeks, millions of people who rely on the food aid program, SNAP, have been in limbo after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it did not believe it had the authority to provide benefits in November because of the ongoing government shutdown.

However, the newly announced funding could take days, if not a week or longer, to reach families in need.

Contact me at kapalmer@usatoday.com.