Judge says Trump administration must fund SNAP. And, what to know about NYC's election

Judge says Trump administration must fund SNAP. And, what to know about NYC's election

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President Trump has shown little interest in negotiating with Democrats to end the government shutdown. He spent the weekend in Florida, one of five trips he's taken since the shutdown began. On Air Force One last night, he told reporters it is up to the Democrats to end it. Check the latest news on the shutdown from our coverage here.

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🎧 Since the shutdown started on Oct. 1, Trump has traveled for 15 days, double what he did during the longest shutdown in history, NPR's Tamara Keith tells Up First. Unlike past presidents who stayed in Washington to negotiate a deal, Trump hasn't changed his schedule. The GOP-led House of Representatives passed a short-term funding bill in September. The GOP's goal is to apply pressure on Senate Democrats to vote for the House bill.

Two federal judges on Friday ordered the Trump administration to use emergency money to keep the national food aid program SNAP going. The program ran out of money on Saturday, and it is unclear how quickly the administration could restart the program. The administration has argued that using contingency funds for regular SNAP benefits is illegal because they are intended for situations such as natural disasters.

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🎧 NPR's Joe Hernandez reports the lapse – affecting 42 million people – is unprecedented for the program. Democratic state officials behind one of the lawsuits argue that stopping benefits will lead to worse food insecurity.

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