Tomorrow, 42 million Americans could wake up to find their food assistance cards empty. The government has posted the notice that no new SNAP benefits will go out while the shutdown continues.

One in eight Americans relies on some form of government grocery aid, and 90% of U.S. households who rely on food assistance include a child under age 18. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, that’s our reality.

And it’s not just the unemployed or the urban poor. It’s single mothers in rural counties, elderly couples whose Social Security checks barely cover rent and working families who’ve seen grocery prices double while their wages haven’t. When those benefits vanish, food banks alone won’t fill the gap.

The irony is that the movement that promised to protect “forgotten Americans” now faces a moment that will test whether those words still mean something.

No one questions the logic of tightening budgets or ending the cycle of federal dependence. Trump’s message of fiscal realism and national renewal resonated precisely because Americans knew that the old welfare system had become a trap.

But there’s a difference between reforming a broken system and letting children go hungry to make a political point.

Your Rundown for Friday, October 31, 2025...

The Movement Has to Feed Its Own

Some Republicans — especially those representing working-class and rural states — are pushing to keep SNAP funded during the shutdown. Others want to hold the line, arguing that piecemeal fixes would weaken the party’s leverage against Democrats.

But to ordinary Americans, the nuance doesn’t matter. What they’ll see on Nov. 1 is Washington playing chicken with their grocery bill.

Trump himself has hinted that he’ll “get it done,” suggesting a workaround might come. And that’s the right instinct.

The conservative cause wins nothing by being indifferent to suffering. Restoring discipline to the federal budget is a long-term project, but feeding families is the right thing to do.

When fiscal discipline and morality collide, real leaders solve problems… They don’t point fingers at the other party while the shelves go bare.

But there’s also a deeper story here. SNAP began during the Great Depression to absorb surplus crops and fight hunger. Eight decades later, it’s the only thing standing between stability and chaos for millions of households.

That dependency is a symptom of something much larger — an economy hollowed out by offshoring, automation and a political class that sold the working poor a digital mirage. We talk about “AI taking jobs” as if it’s a future threat.

Look around.

We’re not talking about handouts. We’re talking about the people who built this country, but are still struggling. The retiree who worked forty years and now counts coupons, the veteran tightening his belt, the single mom working two jobs and still coming up short.

So yes, this better get figured out… fast. Hungry kids aren’t bargaining chips.

Republicans have an opportunity, right now, to show that economic nationalism isn’t about cruelty. Fix the system, reform the programs, but don’t abandon needy Americans.

If tomorrow adds to the hardship for millions already stretched to the limit, it won’t just be another budget fight… It’ll be a betrayal of the people MAGA promised to protect, who are, once again, left to fend for themselves.

Market Rundown for Friday, October 31, 2025

S&P 500 futures are up 0.90% to 6,917.

Oil is down 0.20% to $60.45 for a barrel of WTI.

Gold is up 0.36% to $4,030.50 per ounce.

And Bitcoin is up 1.77% to $110,203.40.