President Donald Trump’s administration faces deadlines on Monday to tell two federal judges whether it will comply with court orders to resume funding benefits through SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown, which is now in its 34th day.
Trump, meanwhile, says he ‘won’t be extorted’ by Democrats, signaling no end soon. During a “60 Minutes” interview that aired on Sunday, Trump said he would only negotiate on extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies once the government is reopened. At that point, the slim Republican majorities in Congress will enable them to continue ignoring Democratic input.
The shortage of air traffic controllers amid the shutdown continues to lead to delayed flights into and out of the United States. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been warning that travelers will start to see more flight disruptions the longer controllers go without a paycheck.
The shutdown is triggering a wave of closures of Head Start centers where students — who come from low-income households, are homeless or are in foster care — will miss out on preschool, where they are fed two meals a day and receive therapy vital to their development. Some centers say they’ll close indefinitely, while others are staying afloat with emergency funding.
The Latest:
Judges mull legality of National Guard deployments in D.C.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey deployed up to 300 Guard members to Washington, D.C., through the end of November to support Trump’s crime-fighting efforts. A civic organization, the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, said state law limits out-of-state deployments to certain purposes, such as responding to a natural disaster or another state’s emergency request. Morrisey’s office has argued the deployment was authorized under federal law.
While Trump issued an executive order in August declaring a crime emergency in the nation’s capital, the U.S. Justice Department says violent crime there is at a 30-year low. Within a month, more than 2,300 Guard troops from eight states and the district were patrolling under the Army secretary’s command. A federal judge has yet to rule on District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb ’s request for an order to remove them.
Judge considers Trump use of military in Memphis, Tennessee
Trump’s push to send the military into Democratic-run cities has unleashed a whirlwind of lawsuits and overlapping court rulings. The latest legal efforts include Monday’s hearing before Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal in Nashville.
Tennessee Democrats contend in a lawsuit that Republican Gov. Bill Lee cannot deploy the Tennessee National Guard for civil unrest unless there is rebellion or invasion, and even then, it would require action by state lawmakers.
Trump announced in September that the National Guard would accompany authorities from a slew of federal agencies as part of the so-called Memphis Safe Task Force. Since their arrival on Oct. 10, National Guard troops have been patrolling neighborhoods and commercial areas, wearing fatigues and protective vests that say “military police.” The U.S. Marshals Service has tallied more than 1,500 arrests and thousands of traffic citations.
Trump predicts Democrats will capitulate to Republicans
“I think they have to,” Trump said during the “60 Minutes” interview. “And if they don’t vote, it’s their problem.”
With Senate Democrats now voting 13 times against reopening the government, insisting they need Trump and Republicans to negotiate with them first, Trump said Republican leaders should change Senate rules and scrap the filibuster.
“Republicans have to get tougher,” Trump told CBS. “If we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want.”
Senate Republicans have repeatedly rejected that idea, arguing that requiring 60 votes to overcome any objections is vital to the Senate, and has allowed them to stop Democratic policies when they’re in the minority.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.