As the shutdown enters a fourth week, the USDA says SNAP benefits won’t go out on Nov. 1, warning “the well has run dry” for a program serving about 42 million people. The administration now argues contingency funds can’t be used, a reversal from earlier guidance, while House Speaker Mike Johnson urges Democrats to back a clean continuing resolution. The FAA slowed traffic in several cities amid unpaid staffing shortages, with controllers missing a paycheck Tuesday. The largest federal workers union urged Congress to end the shutdown, as health care deadlines near and negotiations remain stalled.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.