Venezuela’s president has been warning that his armed forces have deployed 5,000 Russian-made Igla-S anti-aircraft missiles across its territory, at a moment President Trump has ordered an unprecedented force build-up in the Caribbean.

“Any military force in the world knows the power of the Igla-S, and Venezuela has no less than 5,000,” Nicolas Maduro said during a televised address to military personnel.

The Pentagon confirmed Friday it has redirected a carrier strike group from the Mediterranean to the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) are of operations to join the significant amount of warships already patrolling waters of Venezuela’s coast.

On Friday, Trump was asked about recent reports that Maduro offered “everything in his country, all the natural resources” to ease tensions with Washington. Caracas has denied these reports.

But contradicting the denials, Trump said at the White House that Maduro had offered “everything” because “he doesn’t want to f**k around with the United States.”

Weekend reports say that the Venezuelan military continues to deploy additional arms to its coast, in anticipation for possible US military action. Trump has said that “land” targets are an option on the table.

It’s unknown whether Venezuela’s military actually has thousands of Igla-S systems. The weapon is typically compared to the US Stinger missile, as it can hit  low-flying aircraft, drones, and helicopters at ranges reaching a little less than four miles.

Maduro orders ‘ALL’ Russian arms to coast opposite Pentagon mass buildup pic.twitter.com/wFvvHxBw0P

— RT (@RT_com) October 25, 2025

The source Army Recognition writes:

President Maduro’s focus on MANPADS (MAN-Portable Air-Defense missile System) SA-24 Igla-S fits a broader picture of Venezuelan point-defense layers built over the past decade, in which shoulder-fired systems complement legacy short-range air defenses and anti-air artillery. Recent technical reviews describe an inventory that pairs MANPADS such as the Russian Igla-S with Sweden’s laser-guided RBS-70, backed by mobile batteries and radar coverage designed to complicate any attacker’s route selection at low altitude. The concept is not to defeat a modern air force outright but to raise attrition and force higher-risk flight profiles.

But these short-range missiles will be no match for large American warships, and certainly not the Ford Carrier Group – said to now be en route.

Authored by Crystal-Rose Jones via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Queensland’s Minister for Women Fiona Simpson has restored the state’s official definition for a woman.

Under the previous Labor government, the definition was widened to encompass “all people who identify as a woman or girl,” according to the Queensland Women and Girls’ Health Strategy 2032 (pdf).

It came amid broader changes to the Human Rights Act in June 2023—coming into affect a year later—which loosened the requirement for changing the official gender on a birth certificate, to the point where children 12 and up could change their gender without needing surgery or treatment.

“Despite repeated claims to the contrary there is no evidence from any jurisdiction to suggest women will have fewer rights, or be less safe, as a result of these changes,” then-Women’s Minister Shannon Fentiman told Parliament in June 2023.

The centre-right Liberal National Party (LNP) and conservative-leaning Katter Australian Party opposed the law at the time.

This year on Sept. 16, KAP Leader Robbie Katter asked the current LNP Minister Simpson for her definition during Question Time.

“Will the minister (a) define ‘women’ as it is used in the Department of Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Multiculturalism; and (b) detail if the minister and department consider transgender people as women?” Katter said.

This week, a response was provided where Simpson officially stated that: “(a) A woman is an adult female human being; and (b) A transgender person is someone whose gender identity is opposite to the sex the person was born with, male or female.”

How Many Have Changed Their Official Gender?

Katter also asked Attorney-General Deb Frecklington how many people had changed their gender on their birth certificate since Oct. 27, 2024, when the LNP came to power.

Katter also asked how many people were 16 or under, and how many were aged 16-18.

In turn, Frecklington recently responded to the question saying the Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages does “not formally report” on changes as it was “considered sensitive information.”

“Children under 16 seeking to change their sex must have their parents or persons with parental responsibility apply to Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM) on their behalf, or must obtain an Order of the Children’s Court,” Frecklington said.

“The BDMR Act requires an assessment of the child by a developmentally informed practitioner confirming that the child understands the meaning and legal implications of altering their record of sex.

“People over the age of 16 are required to provide a statement of support from an adult who has known them for 12 months or more, confirming they believe the application is being made honestly and in good faith.”

The White House has promised no boots on the ground in Gaza as part of Trump’s peace plan, which has resulted in a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel holding for two weeks, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have assets in the air.

The United States has begun deploying surveillance drones over the Gaza Strip to verify that both Israel and Hamas are adhering to the ceasefire, according to The New York Times on Saturday.

The American drones are said to be operating over the Strip with Israel’s coordination and approval, but precise locations or flight paths haven’t been disclosed.

The drone flights support the operations of the newly established Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), staffed by some 200 American troops and officers, along with participating allied nations.

The NYT also revealed that the Pentagon had previously used drones to assist the Israeli military in locating hostages in the Strip, or else finding terror cells.

The Pentagon used MQ-9 Reaper drones in Gaza to for these earlier missions. Interestingly the NY Times report actually hints at growing distrust between the US and Israeli sides in terms of implementing the ceasefire:

A former American diplomat and defense official, like some Israeli officials, expressed surprise at the latest U.S. surveillance missions in Gaza, given the two countries’ close military ties.

“This is a very intrusive version of U.S. monitoring on a front where Israel perceives an active threat,” said Daniel B. Shapiro, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Barack Obama and as a special envoy to Israel on Iran under President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

“If there was total transparency and total trust between Israel and the U.S., there wouldn’t be a need for this,” Mr. Shapiro said. “But obviously the U.S. wants to eliminate any possibility of misunderstanding.”

That distrust was on display also while Vice President JD Vance and other top White House officials were in Israel this week.

Israel’s parliament days ago gave initial approval to a controversial bill that would extend Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, widely viewed as tantamount to full Israeli annexation of the Palestinian territory. A Knesset statement said the proposal seeks “to apply the sovereignty of the State of Israel to the territories of Judea and Samaria (West Bank).”

This largely ‘symbolic’ vote angered Vance and the American delegation, as it was seen as a provocation which could sink the ceasefire deal – at a moment they were on the ground inspecting the situation in southern Israel.

Vance denounced the “stupid political stunt” which was an “insult” led by hardliner MPs. But he also said it may have merely been “symbolic” but it was “weird” to do especially while he was still in the country.

Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The Golden State has the largest number of residents living well into their golden years, according to a new U.S. Census report issued on Sept. 22.

California reported 10,623 residents older than 100 years old, followed by New York (6,921), Florida (6,580), and Texas (4,435) as the top states with the highest population of centenarians.

Alaska recorded only 94 centenarians, which was the fewest, followed by Wyoming (126), Vermont (167), and Delaware (197), with each having fewer than 200 centenarians statewide, according to the census report.

The new report “Centenarians: 2020” examined living arrangements and other details of the 80,139 people living in the U.S. who were 100 years old or older in 2020.

“Living to the age of 100 is extremely rare,” the census wrote in the report.

In 2020, U.S. residents who lived until the age of 65 were expected to reach about 83.5 years old on average.

“Centenarians … defied those odds,” the census reported.

Beyond living arrangements and locations, the census also found that more men were living past age 100 in 2020, when compared to 2010 census tallies.

Centenarians remain overwhelmingly female—accounting for nearly 79 percent of the population. But that percentage has declined. In 2010, nearly 83 percent were female.

“Centenarians, a largely White alone and female population, became slightly more racially diverse and male in 2020,” the census reported. “The increase in racial diversity (i.e., about an 8 percentage-point decline in the White alone share) was on par with what was shown for other age groups among the older population.”

The only group of centenarians to decline in the past decade was African Americans, who dropped to 10.3 percent in 2020 from 12.2 percent in 2010.

Age and Sex Differences

More than half—or nearly 61 percent—of the centenarians in the U.S were 100 or 101.

Super-centenarians—people who were 110 or older—numbered 1,933 nationwide, according to the census.

According to a recent National Center for Health Statistics report, females generally live about 5.7 years longer than males. Women are expected to live to 79.9 years on average, while men live to about 74.2 years, according to the census.

State Proportion Numbers

According to the numbers from the 2020 U.S. Census, Hawaii had the largest proportion of centenarians. It was the only state with more than four—4.44 to be exact—centenarians per 10,000 in 2020. Puerto Rico reported 4.14 centenarians per 10,000 people.

States with relatively high proportions of centenarians—between 3.5 and 3.99 per 10,000 people—were Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Connecticut.

The nationwide centenarian proportion is 2.42 per 10,000, the census reported.

Utah and Alaska had the lowest proportion of centenarians per 10,000, according to the census.

Global Comparisons

The number of U.S. centenarians was among the largest of all countries, the study revealed.

Globally, Japan had the highest proportion of citizens aged 65 and older in the world, while Italy had the highest proportion of 65 and older residents in Europe, according to the census.

The U.S. proportion of 2.42 centenarians per 10,000 people was slightly smaller than Italy’s figure of 2.48. It was also less than half of the share for Japan, which recorded 6.37 centenarians per 10,000 people, according to the census.

Based billionaire recluse Timothy Mellon has been revealed as the (now formerly) anonymous private donor who gave $130 million to the US government to help pay troops during the shutdown. Hell, the virtuous (signaling) Mark Cuban – who’s worth more than Mellon, won’t even do that for Ukraine where ‘half his family’ is from.

The massive donation was announced Thursday night by President Donald Trump – who only referred to the donor as a “patriot” and friend who “doesn’t want publicity.” 

“He called us the other day and he said, ‘I’d like to contribute any shortfall you have because of the Democrat shutdown. I’d like to contribute, personally, contribute any shortfall you have with the military, because I love the military and I love the country, and any shortfall, if there’s a shortfall, I’ll contribute it…’’’

“He doesn’t really want the recognition, if you want to know the truth, but he gave us a check for $130 million, which was sort of a shortfall, and that’s going to go to the military.” -Trump

Today, the NY Times leaked it. 

Mellon, a wealthy banking heir and railroad magnate who lives a quiet life in Wyoming, has been giving tens of millions of dollars to groups backing Trump and Republicans in general – including $50 million last year to a Trump super PAC, one of the largest single contributions ever disclosed. 

He’s also a big supporter of RFK Jr. – giving money to his presidential campaign, as well as Kennedy’s group, Children’s Health Defense. 

According to the report, the Pentagon accepted the donation under the “general gift acceptance authority,” and was “made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” Pentagon spox Sean Parnell said. 

And yet… (of course)

THE NY TIMES IS SALTY ABOUT IT

While just about anything in Washington might violate any law at any time – the Times drops this little nugget towards the end; 

Still, the donation appears to be a potential violation of the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from spending money in excess of congressional appropriations or from accepting voluntary services.

Oh no, the thing that’s happened over 80 times between 2018-2024 alone (GAO) and has never been prosecuted in its 155 years of existence. 

Does anyone on the left have the balls to bring that lawsuit? 

Authored by Jacki Thrapp via The Epoch Times,

Kamala Harris isn’t ruling out another run for the White House.

The former vice president hinted that she may run for president again in 2028 during an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuessenberg.

Kuessenberg brought up Harris’s young nieces and asked, “When are they going to see a woman in charge in the White House?”

“In their lifetime, for sure,” Harris responded.

“Could it be you?” Kuessenberg questioned.

“Possibly,” Harris replied.

Harris became the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July 2024 and endorsed her.

The 61-year-old politician confirmed to the BBC that a bid for the presidency in 2028 is still on the table, and said that her career in politics will continue.

“I am not done,” Harris said.

“I have lived my entire career, a life of service, and it’s in my bones, and there are many ways to serve. I’ve not decided yet what I will do in the future beyond what I am doing right now.”

BBC: In the campaign, you said Donald Trump was a fascist. Do you think he’s running a fascist authoritarian government?

Kamala Harris: I was asked if he was a fascist and I said yes. Look at what’s happening right now.

pic.twitter.com/CxXQzhj4bH

— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) October 25, 2025

The former U.S. senator has been on tour promoting her book, “107 Days.”

The book, which detailed the 107 days she spent running for president against President Donald Trump after Biden exited the race, was published on Sept. 23 and is on track to become the best-selling memoir of 2025, according to a statement from her publisher, Simon & Schuster.

Harris served as the first woman district attorney in San Francisco from 2004 to 2010 before being elected Attorney General of California.

She served as a U.S. senator representing California from 2017 to 2021, unsuccessfully ran to be the Democratic nominee for president in the 2020 race, and was selected as VP on Biden’s ticket, making her the 49th vice president of the United States.

An Emerson College Poll from June 2025 showed former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as the early frontrunner to lead the Democratic Party into the 2028 election.

Harris admitted that the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was her first choice for vice president when she ran in 2024, but she did not think a Harris-Buttigeig ticket would beat Trump.

“He would have been an ideal partner—if I were a straight white man,” Harris wrote in her book “107 Days.”

“But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman. A Black woman married to a Jewish man. Part of me wanted to say … let’s just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk. I think Pete also knew that—to our mutual sadness.”

President Trump announced on Saturday afternoon that he will increase tariffs on Canada by 10% in response to an anti-tariff advertisement by the province of Ontario that featured Ronald Reagan, and which is roiling one of the world’s biggest bilateral trade relationships.

Trump said the ad campaign misrepresented Reagan’s speech on tariffs, and aimed at interfering with the upcoming Supreme Court hearing on his administration’s global tariffs.

“Canada was caught, red-handed, putting up a fraudulent advertisement on Ronald Reagan’s Speech on Tariffs,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“The Reagan Foundation said that they, ‘created an ad campaign using selective audio and video of President Ronald Reagan. The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address,’ and ‘did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute is reviewing its legal options in this matter.’”

“Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD. Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now.”

The US president didn’t specify the scope of his new measure. While Canada faces a US base tariff of 35%, the rate doesn’t apply to most Canadian goods because of an exemption for products and shipments made within the rules of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Steel and aluminum products don’t have that waiver — and Canadian-made cars and trucks are only partially eligible for exemption from Trump’s 25% tariffs on most foreign autos.

“Tariffs at any level remain a tax on America first, then North American competitiveness as a whole,” Candace Laing, head of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Ottawa, said in a statement. “We hope this threat of escalation can be resolved through diplomatic channels and further negotiation.”

Canada PM Mark Carney has been engaged in talks with the US to lower the levies and Ontario Premier Doug Ford has pledged to pause the Ontario-funded ads in the US on Monday after speaking to Carney in hopes that the talks could resume. After Trump first halted the negotiations, Carney said Ottawa was prepared to resume discussions “when the Americans are ready,” and said that the two sides had been making progress on steel, aluminum and energy.

In contrast, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told Fox News on Friday that negotiations with Canada have “not been going well” and Trump is “very frustrated.”

Trump said the ads appear to be timed to influence a US Supreme Court case challenging the legality of many of his global tariffs, threatening a pillar of his reelection campaign and subsequent economic agenda. The court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case on Nov. 5. Trump said SCOTUS would create a disaster if it overturns his country-based tariffs, including forcing the US government to refund companies billions of dollars in duties.

Trump said Thursday he’d end all talks with Canada because of the ad, which used excerpts from a 1987 Reagan speech defending free trade and slamming tariffs as an outdated notion that stifles innovation, drives up prices and hurts US workers.  When Reagan delivered the radio address, he had just placed “select” tariffs on Japanese electronics for what he considered unfair trade practices. 

The Reagan quotations were edited together from different parts of his speech, prompting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute to complain that the ad misrepresented the full address. The foundation said it’s reviewing its legal options.

The Government of Ontario just spent $75 million on a pro-trade/anti-tariff ad starring… Ronald Reagan. pic.twitter.com/uD5wJgZEzv

— Scott Lincicome (@scottlincicome) October 15, 2025

Trump made his latest announcement while en route to a three-country trip to Asia that includes stops at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea. Asked if he had any plans to meet Carney during the two summits, the US president said as he began his trip that “I don’t have any intention of it, no.”

A gunman who rushed the stage at the Wikipedia WikiConference in New York City last week was a suicidal pedophile who was going to kill himself in protest of the propaganda website’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy when it comes to adults who fantasize about sex with children. 

Connor Weston, 27, allegedly rushed the stage, pointed a loaded revolver at his head, and declared “I’m a non-contact pedophile. I want to kill myself.” 

Of note, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales said in leaked e-mails that there would be a secret prohibition on self-identifying pedophiles that he made official policy in 2010. Under these rules, editors identifying as pedos are banned indefinitely. Weston posted under the name ‘Gapazoid,’ according to a statement. 

The gunman stepped on stage next to Maryanna Iskander, the Chief Executive Officer of the Wikimedia Foundation that owns Wikipedia, during her keynote address and announced that he was an “anti-contact no-offending” pedophile who was planning to kill himself in protest of the site’s child protection policy.

He described the child protection policy as a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, a term used by site co-founder Jimmy Wales in leaked e-mails to describe a secret prohibition on self-identifying pedophiles that Wales officially made public policy in 2010. Under current policy, editors identifying as pedophiles are banned indefinitely. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” references a policy previously in place in the U.S. military regarding homosexuality prior to allowing homosexual individuals to serve openly. –Breitbart

Weston was eventually subdued by two volunteer security members at the conference (wut?) – Richard Knipel and Andrew Lih, site admins who edit as “Pharos” and “Fuzheado” respectively. One day later, Arbitration Committee member “ScottishFinnishRadish” (SFR) published revealed that Weston was behind the Gapazoid account, and that they had implemented a global ban after SFR banned his account on the English Wikipedia site in February. 

SFR admitted that he was violating a non-disclosure agreement by commenting on the incident, though a majority of committee members endorsed the publication of his comment. 

A pedophile activist has been arrested after storming a Wikipedia conference and threatening to commit suicide on stage.

Connor Gardner Weston is a member of a prominent pro-pedophile group that has been promoted by academics and the media.

READ: https://t.co/X5ShJKaSFf pic.twitter.com/PGk8zqB5yF

— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) October 19, 2025

According to Breitbart, “Weston had made over a hundred edits and translated an article from the Japanese Wikipedia, before commenting on the discussion page of the child protection policy to complain the policy conflated “non-offending pedophiles and supporters of child sex abuse.” He was banned several days later.”

What’s more, Weston emailed Wikipedia notifying them of his intent to protest at the Foundation headquarters.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

In 2007, Wales wrote this in response to a thread about banning pedophiles;

I agree with this completely.

This is a thorny issue, and I have little to add to it. We don’t want a
witch hunt. We also don’t want a huge press scandal.

It is inevitable that at some point a reporter is going to come to me
and tell me about a user I don’t know about, asking “Why does Wikipedia
allow a self-confessed pedophile to edit articles about children?”

And my response is going to be: “O RLY? *block*”

I will use “disruption” as my reason or “useless editor” or whatever
seems to suit the circumstance.

At the same time, other than that, I think our best approach is just
like our best approach with other types of problems:

1. Quiet diplomacy is good
2. Don’t ask, don’t tell is good

–Jimbo

So the plan when it comes to outed WikiPedos (since we’re guessing there’s a bunch) is to call it a distraction, or minimize the pedo’s import to the organization. 

‘You know it’s bad when…’

Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

Putin’s senior aide Nikolai Patrushev gave an interview to Arguments and Facts about Japan on the 80th anniversary of its unilateral surrender in World War II in early September that’s important to raise wider awareness of after the appointment of its new ultra-nationalist prime minister. He began by reminding everyone that “Tokyo zealously cultivated an open racism that surpassed German Nazism in its absurdity and inhumanity. And the sovereignty of other countries was considered an empty phrase there.”

Patrushev then touched upon Imperial Japan’s failed geopolitical plot to turn the Sea of Japan into an inland sea and even seize Kamchatka so as “to gain undivided possession of the Sea of Okhotsk” too. He assessed that Japan’s current campaign for “’justice’ on the issue of the so-called ‘northern territories’” is just a disguise for a similar plot to obtain control over new marine (seafood and mineral) resources. Patrushev accordingly warned that it’s planning to make new claims to Russian maritime territory.

The emerging trend of misportraying Imperial Japan as the “victim” of Soviet aggression in 1945, despite the Allies having agreed in advance that the USSR would open up the Manchurian Front three months after the Nazis’ defeat, is meant to lend false legitimacy to these claims. This threat shouldn’t be downplayed, Patrushev warned, since Japan’s “Self-Defense Forces” de facto function as national armed forces, are NATO-backed, and are “systematically building a powerful and ultra-modern submarine fleet”.

In his words, “Japan is one of the most powerful naval powers in the world today. Its fleet is capable of solving almost any task even in remote areas of the World Ocean. The Japanese Navy closely cooperates with the NATO fleet, and at any moment they can be integrated into Western coalition formats.” Even more concerning are Japan’s nuclear breakthrough capabilities: “it is capable of creating its own nuclear arsenal and means of delivery in a few years” if the decision is made, according to Patrushev.

Nevertheless, these threats shouldn’t be exaggerated either since Russia is “building up defensive potential in the Far East and strengthening our naval power in the Pacific Ocean”, thus meaning that it’s more than capable of defending itself from Japan. Rather, “The threat lies not so much in the destroyers and missiles, but in the fact that the national consciousness of the Japanese is shifting from pacifism to rabid revanchism”, which he attributed to a long-running “aggressive propaganda” campaign.

The purpose is to precondition the population to accept the risks associated with Japan more actively advancing US interests in the region via the “Squad” (those two, Australia, and the Philippines), which is envisaged as the core of AUKUS+, the US’ desired NATO-like regional analogue. Japan’s place in the US’ Chinese Containment Coalition just rose as a result of the unexpected Sino-Indo rapprochement, prior to which the US wanted India to play a complementary role, so Japan is now at the forefront of this effort.

The trend is that New Cold War’s focus is shifting from US-led NATO’s containment of Russia in Europe to US-led AUKUS+’s containment of China in Asia, all while the TRIPP Corridor injects Western influence into the Eurasian Heartland to stir trouble for both. India’s Pakistani rival is also poised to play a supportive role on the Central Asian front if tensions with the Taliban abate.

Altogether, Poland, Japan, Turkiye, and possibly Pakistan are now the US’ top containment allies, which isn’t lost on Russia, India, and China.

USDA Warns It Can’t Use Contingency Funds To Cover SNAP In November

The federal government shutdown entered Day 25 on Saturday, with cryptocurrency-based prediction market Polymarket showing odds in the single digits that Democrats and Republicans will reach a resolution before November 3. The market currently assigns a 15% probability that the shutdown will end between November 12 and 15.

We have warned readers of the potential for major disruptions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if the federal government remains closed. Betting odds markets and limited political chatter in the Capitol Beltway this weekend (so far) suggest a resolution to the shutdown remains muted for next week.

Must Read:

• What Are The Chances Of A Food Stamp Collapse In November?

• 5 Key Dates To Watch As Shutdown Drags On

In 2025, around 42 million people relied on SNAP benefits, which accounted for 12% of the population. This is more than enough people to create chaos should SNAP funds run dry in the coming weeks.

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) warned:

Due to Congressional Democrats’ refusal to pass a clean continuing resolution (CR), approximately 42 million individuals will not receive their SNAP benefits come November 1

The USDA states that SNAP’s contingency fund cannot legally be used for regular monthly benefits during a lapse in appropriations. That fund is intended for emergencies such as Disaster SNAP after hurricanes or floods, not to replace missing federal funding. The agency also warned that shifting money from other food programs would undermine school meals and WIC (infant formula and nutrition support), adding that states cannot step in to front the money, because SNAP benefits are fully federally funded and there is no legal way for states to be reimbursed.

Recall from our note citing Goldman analysts over the summer: here is the SNAP exposure for discount chains Dollar General and Dollar Tree.

 SNAP exposure for DG stores

SNAP exposure for DLTR stores

It’s a helpful way to visualize where clusters of SNAP benefits are primarily used geographically.

And now, as Jill McLaughlin details below for The Epoch Times, Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency in Virginia on Oct. 23 to provide relief for residents at risk of losing federal food benefits next month.

The ongoing government shutdown will cause low-income residents in the state to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits starting Nov. 1 if lawmakers are unable to reach an agreement to pass a budget bill and reopen the government.

Over 850,000 residents in the state could lose benefits, according to the governor, a Republican, who blamed Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown.

“This is an extraordinary action and is only necessary because of the shamelessness of congressional Democrats,” Youngkin said in a statement.

The declaration allows Youngkin to spend state emergency funds to protect the “health, welfare, and safety of Virginians,” according to the governor.

Virginia’s poverty rate is about 10 percent, according to the latest census. The national rate is 12.4 percent.

The federal nutrition program provides monthly payments to eligible low-income households, allowing them to buy food. The average monthly payment is about $332 per household, with most living at or below the poverty level. Households with children receive an average of $574 per month, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Four out of five households that receive SNAP payments include either a child, an elderly person, or someone with a disability, the USDA reported.

Other states have also taken emergency action over the looming loss of SNAP funds.

California announced Wednesday that the state was fast-tracking up to $80 million in state funds and deploying the National Guard and state volunteers to support food banks during the shutdown. About 5.5 million Californians are expected to lose SNAP benefits in November.

“This is serious, this is urgent—and requires immediate action,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said on Oct. 22 that he has requested that state lawmakers consider using up to $10 million of the state’s general fund to support food banks and pantries.

Multiple states have also warned SNAP holders they need to prepare to lose benefits next month.

In Washington on Thursday, the Senate failed to pass a bill to pay U.S. troops and active federal workers during the shutdown. The Republican-led “Shutdown Fairness Act” failed on a cloture vote of 54–45, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance.

The SNAP program is set to change Nov. 1. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in July, recipient work requirements will apply to adults 18 to 65, unless they are unable to work due to a physical or mental limitation. Other changes to exemptions will also apply.