SALINE COUNTY —Police responded to report of a loose dog have made a drug arrest.

On Tuesday, police were dispatched to the&nbsp;Airliner Motel, 781 N. Broadway in Salina about a loose dog in the area. When they arrived, officers made contact with a 55-year old woman identified as Leslie McMurray,&nbsp;in the area of her room, according to Salina Police Lt. Andrew Zeigler

&nbsp;McMurray was allegedly holding a Yeti cup and an officer observed a plastic bag containing suspected methamphetamine residue in. McMurray was then arrested without incident.

McMurray was booked into the Saline County Jail on requested charges of Possession of Meth and Drug Paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761751869083.png" alt="McMurray photo Saline County" />
 <figcaption>McMurray photo Saline County</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Police responded to report of a loose dog have made a drug arrest.On Tuesday, police were dispatched to the&nbsp;Airliner Motel, 781 N. Broadway in Salina about a loose dog in the area. When they arrived, officers made contact with a 55-year old woman identified as Leslie McMurray,&nbsp;in the area of her room, according to Salina Police Lt. Andrew Zeigler&nbsp;McMurray was allegedly holding a Yeti cup and an officer observed a plastic bag containing suspected methamphetamine residue in. McMurray was then arrested without incident.McMurray was booked into the Saline County Jail on requested charges of Possession of Meth and Drug Paraphernalia.

Police make drug arrest while looking for dog

GYEONGJU, South Korea (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump" rel="nofollow">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;said Wednesday that “it’s too bad” he’s not allowed to run for a third term, conceding the constitutional reality even as he expressed interest in continuing to serve.

“If you read it, it’s pretty clear,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One enroute from Japan to South Korea. “I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad.”

The president’s comments, which continue his on-again, off-again musings about a third term, came a day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/" rel="nofollow">House Speaker Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;said it would be impossible for Trump to stay in the White House.

“I don’t see the path for that,” he told reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.

Johnson, the Republican leader who has built his career by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/" rel="nofollow">drawing closer to Trump</a>, said he discussed the issue with the president, and he thinks Trump understands the situation.

“He and I have talked about the constrictions of the Constitution,” he said.

GYEONGJU, South Korea (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump" rel="nofollow">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;said Wednesday that “it’s too bad” he’s not allowed to run for a third term, conceding the constitutional reality even as he expressed interest in continuing to serve.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Trump on a third term: &quot;I would love to do it. I have the best numbers ever. Am I not ruling it out? You&#39;ll have to tell me.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/8tsuvIOeVf">pic.twitter.com/8tsuvIOeVf</a>&mdash; Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1982783779597959567?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“If you read it, it’s pretty clear,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One enroute from Japan to South Korea. “I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad.”The president’s comments, which continue his on-again, off-again musings about a third term, came a day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/" rel="nofollow">House Speaker Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;said it would be impossible for Trump to stay in the White House.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> on Trump running for a third term: &quot;I think the president knows - and he and I have talked about - the constrictions of the Constitution...I don&#39;t see a way to amend the Constitution, because it takes about 10 years to do that...I don&#39;t see the path for that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/EvnliWcJbZ">pic.twitter.com/EvnliWcJbZ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1983193264422351309?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“I don’t see the path for that,” he told reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.Johnson, the Republican leader who has built his career by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/" rel="nofollow">drawing closer to Trump</a>, said he discussed the issue with the president, and he thinks Trump understands the situation.“He and I have talked about the constrictions of the Constitution,” he said.

🎥What President Trump now says about running for a third term

At Tuesday’s meeting, the Newton City Commission approved a lease agreement with Shield AI, an aeronautics technology manufacturer specializing in artificial intelligence drones, for a site at Newton City/County Airport.

The lease agreement includes 16,000 square feet of hangar and office space in Hangar J, as well as three acres of undeveloped land on the east side of the airport. The lease has an initial 5-year term at $90,000 per year, and two additional 5-year term options with an annual 1.5% increase on the hangar rate.

Shield AI, founded in 2015, develops autonomy software and aircraft that use artificial intelligence to protect service members and civilians in high-risk environments. The company’s latest innovation, the X-BAT, is the world’s first AI-piloted, vertical takeoff and landing fighter jet.

Jacob Miller with Shield AI said the company had been searching for a location as it develops the next iteration of its combat aircraft technology.

“We look to Newton airport to be the spot to help unlock and continue to keep the U.S. at the forefront of artificial intelligence and specifically artificial intelligence on aircraft,” Miller said.

The company’s initial plans are to use the Newton facility for testing during the manufacturing process.

The City and County, as joint owners of the airport, agreed to install a gravel service road from First Street to the ground lease acreage, and to update the office area and restrooms to code. City staff estimate the remodeling work will cost about $15,000 and are still working with Shield AI to determine the specifications and estimated cost of the road extension.

The City and County will also pay about $18,000 in fees to Shield AI’s real estate broker.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761752458248.jpeg" alt="Image courtesy of Sheild AI" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Sheild AI</figcaption>
 </figure>CITY OF NEWTONAt Tuesday’s meeting, the Newton City Commission approved a lease agreement with Shield AI, an aeronautics technology manufacturer specializing in artificial intelligence drones, for a site at Newton City/County Airport.The lease agreement includes 16,000 square feet of hangar and office space in Hangar J, as well as three acres of undeveloped land on the east side of the airport. The lease has an initial 5-year term at $90,000 per year, and two additional 5-year term options with an annual 1.5% increase on the hangar rate.Shield AI, founded in 2015, develops autonomy software and aircraft that use artificial intelligence to protect service members and civilians in high-risk environments. The company’s latest innovation, the X-BAT, is the world’s first AI-piloted, vertical takeoff and landing fighter jet.Jacob Miller with Shield AI said the company had been searching for a location as it develops the next iteration of its combat aircraft technology.“We look to Newton airport to be the spot to help unlock and continue to keep the U.S. at the forefront of artificial intelligence and specifically artificial intelligence on aircraft,” Miller said.The company’s initial plans are to use the Newton facility for testing during the manufacturing process.The City and County, as joint owners of the airport, agreed to install a gravel service road from First Street to the ground lease acreage, and to update the office area and restrooms to code. City staff estimate the remodeling work will cost about $15,000 and are still working with Shield AI to determine the specifications and estimated cost of the road extension.The City and County will also pay about $18,000 in fees to Shield AI’s real estate broker.

Defense tech company to open flight test facility in Kansas

&nbsp;LACLEDE COUNTY, Mo.—Seven people were injured in an accident just after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday in Laclede County, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2024 Prevost Charter bus driven by a 75-year-old Springfield man was southbound at&nbsp;18610 Highway A just outside of Phillipsburg, Missouri. The bus traveled off the right side of the road and overturned.

Emergency crews from the Conway Volunteer Fire Department responded to the emergency. The bus was carrying students from three area schools who were en route to the Future Farmers of America (FFA) conference in Indiana.

Four students including a 15-year-old girl, two 16-year-old girls and a 17-year-old boy sustained minor injuries and were transported to Mercy Lebanon for evaluation. EMS also transported a 23-year-old man and a 50-year-old man to Mercy Lebanon. The driver was going to seek his own medical treatment, according to the Patrol.

The students who were not injured were transported to Conway High School by a Conway R-1 School District bus. There, they were provided with warm Conway Bear clothing, blankets, and snacks while they waited for their parents and school officials to arrive

The Conway Volunteer Fire Department thanked&nbsp; Mercy EMS, the Laclede County Sheriff’s Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol for their assistance at the scene and Laclede County R-1 School District for responding so fast with a bus and administrators to help and opening your doors and taking such good care of these kids. Conway is located approximately 3 hours southeast of Kansas City.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761769391583.png" alt="Photo&nbsp; Conway Volunteer Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photo&nbsp; Conway Volunteer Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;LACLEDE COUNTY, Mo.—Seven people were injured in an accident just after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday in Laclede County, Missouri.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761769417283.png" alt="&nbsp;Photo Conway Volunteer Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Photo Conway Volunteer Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2024 Prevost Charter bus driven by a 75-year-old Springfield man was southbound at&nbsp;18610 Highway A just outside of Phillipsburg, Missouri. The bus traveled off the right side of the road and overturned.Emergency crews from the Conway Volunteer Fire Department responded to the emergency. The bus was carrying students from three area schools who were en route to the Future Farmers of America (FFA) conference in Indiana.Four students including a 15-year-old girl, two 16-year-old girls and a 17-year-old boy sustained minor injuries and were transported to Mercy Lebanon for evaluation. EMS also transported a 23-year-old man and a 50-year-old man to Mercy Lebanon. The driver was going to seek his own medical treatment, according to the Patrol.The students who were not injured were transported to Conway High School by a Conway R-1 School District bus. There, they were provided with warm Conway Bear clothing, blankets, and snacks while they waited for their parents and school officials to arriveThe Conway Volunteer Fire Department thanked&nbsp; Mercy EMS, the Laclede County Sheriff’s Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol for their assistance at the scene and Laclede County R-1 School District for responding so fast with a bus and administrators to help and opening your doors and taking such good care of these kids. Conway is located approximately 3 hours southeast of Kansas City.

5 hospitalized after bus carrying FFA students overturns 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year as it seeks to shore up economic growth and hiring even as inflation stays elevated.

“Job gains have slowed this year, and the unemployment rate has edged up but remained low through August,” the Fed said in a statement issued Wednesday. “More recent indicators are consistent with these developments." The government hasn't issued unemployment data after August because of the shutdown. The Fed is watching private-sector figures instead.

Wednesday's decision brings the Fed's key rate down to about 3.9%, from about 4.1%. The central bank had cranked its rate to roughly 5.3% in 2023 and 2024 to combat the biggest inflation spike in four decades. Lower rates could, over time, reduce borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards, as well as for business loans.

The move comes amid a fraught time for the central bank, with hiring sluggish and yet inflation stuck above the Fed’s 2% target. Compounding its challenges, the central bank is navigating without the economic signposts it typically relies on from the government, including monthly reports on jobs, inflation and consumer spending, which have been suspended because of the government shutdown. The Fed has signaled it may reduce its key rate again in December but the data drought raises the uncertainty around its next moves.

The Fed typically raises its short term rate to combat inflation, while it cuts rates to encourage borrowing and spending and shore up hiring. Right now its two goals are in conflict, so it is reducing borrowing costs to support the job market, while still keeping rates high enough to avoid stimulating the economy so much that it worsens inflation.

Speaking to reporters after the Fed's announced its rate decision, Fed chair Jerome Powell said there were “strongly differing views about how to proceed in December” at the policy meeting and a further reduction in rates is not “a foregone conclusion.”

On Wednesday, the Fed also said it would stop reducing the size of its massive securities holdings, which it accumulated during the pandemic and after the 2008-2009 Great Recession. The change, to take effect Dec. 1, could over time slightly reduce longer-term interest rates on things like mortgages but won't have much impact on consumer borrowing costs.

The Fed purchased nearly $5 trillion of Treasury securities and mortgage-backed bonds from 2020 to 2022 to stabilize financial markets during the pandemic and keep longer-term interest rates low. The bond-buying lifted its securities holdings to $9 trillion.

In the past three years, however, the Fed has reduced its holdings to about $6.6 trillion. To shrink its holdings, the Fed lets securities mature without replacing them, reducing bank reserves. In recent months, however, the reductions appeared to disrupt money markets, threatening to push up shorter-term interest rates.

Two of the 12 officials who vote on the Fed’s rate decisions dissented, but in different directions. Fed governor Stephen Miran dissented for the second straight meeting in favor of a half-point cut. Miran was appointed by President Donald Trump just before the central bank’s last meeting in September.

Jeffrey Schmid, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, voted against the move because he preferred no change to the Fed’s rate. Schmid has previously expressed concern that inflation remains too high.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Powell for not reducing borrowing costs more quickly. In South Korea early Wednesday he repeated his criticisms of the Fed chair.

“He’s out of there in another couple of months,” Trump said. Powell’s term ends in May. On Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-trump-independence-inflation-5c8cfa5816845d4f005db51c91cdab0d">confirmed</a>&nbsp;the administration is considering five people to replace Powell, and will decide by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the government shutdown has interrupted economic data. September's jobs report, scheduled to be released three weeks ago, is still postponed. This month's hiring figures, to be released Nov. 7, will likely be delayed and may be less comprehensive when they are finally released. And the White House said last week that October's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-shutdown-no-report-70a0e2773445ded8a7239c4899fc410c">inflation report</a>&nbsp;may never be issued at all.

The data drought raises risks for the Fed because it is widely expected to keep cutting rates in an effort to shore up growth and hiring. Yet should job gains pick up soon, the Fed may not detect the change. And if hiring rebounds after weak job gains during the summer, further rate cuts may not be justified.

Before the government shutdown cut off the flow of data Oct. 1, monthly hiring gains had weakened to an average of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-economy-unemployment-trump-firing-f686eab61f7d6b702ca10b12b0250498">just 29,000 a month</a>&nbsp;for the previous three months, according to the Labor Department's data. The unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.3% in August from 4.2% in July.

More recently, several large corporations have announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/layoffs-2025-amazon-ups-job-cuts-8413af9ac5b434b092ed76d6fa6cd196">sweeping layoffs</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ups-amazon-layoffs-turnaround-85afc1c459883f41a2283c8394ce1eaf">UPS</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-layoff-ai-14000-artificial-intelligence-cb64af47ebb794541fbdfa8fd264932c">Amazon</a>, and Target, which threatens to boost the unemployment rate if it continues.

Meanwhile, last week’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-inflation-trump-prices-economy-wall-street-fed-consumers-280a2fd30de3bb44bd87cd0248082322">inflation report</a>&nbsp;— released more than a week late because of the shutdown — showed that inflation remains elevated but isn’t accelerating and may not need higher interest rates to tame it.

The government's first report on the economy's growth in the July-September quarter was scheduled to be published on Thursday, but will be delayed, as will Friday's report on consumer spending that also includes the Fed's preferred inflation measure.

Fed officials say they are monitoring a range of other data, including some issued by the private sector, and don't feel handicapped by the lack of government reports.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761764214354.png" alt="Fed Chairman Jerome Powell during the announcement on Wednesday-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Fed Chairman Jerome Powell during the announcement on Wednesday-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year as it seeks to shore up economic growth and hiring even as inflation stays elevated.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Fed Chair Powell: &quot;In support of our goals and in light of the balance of risks to employment and inflation, today the Federal Open Market Committee decided to lower our policy interest rate by a quarter percentage point.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FOMC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FOMC</a> <a href="https://t.co/XNoWKSZcGJ">pic.twitter.com/XNoWKSZcGJ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1983610921101467853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Job gains have slowed this year, and the unemployment rate has edged up but remained low through August,” the Fed said in a statement issued Wednesday. “More recent indicators are consistent with these developments." The government hasn't issued unemployment data after August because of the shutdown. The Fed is watching private-sector figures instead.Wednesday's decision brings the Fed's key rate down to about 3.9%, from about 4.1%. The central bank had cranked its rate to roughly 5.3% in 2023 and 2024 to combat the biggest inflation spike in four decades. Lower rates could, over time, reduce borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards, as well as for business loans.The move comes amid a fraught time for the central bank, with hiring sluggish and yet inflation stuck above the Fed’s 2% target. Compounding its challenges, the central bank is navigating without the economic signposts it typically relies on from the government, including monthly reports on jobs, inflation and consumer spending, which have been suspended because of the government shutdown. The Fed has signaled it may reduce its key rate again in December but the data drought raises the uncertainty around its next moves.The Fed typically raises its short term rate to combat inflation, while it cuts rates to encourage borrowing and spending and shore up hiring. Right now its two goals are in conflict, so it is reducing borrowing costs to support the job market, while still keeping rates high enough to avoid stimulating the economy so much that it worsens inflation.Speaking to reporters after the Fed's announced its rate decision, Fed chair Jerome Powell said there were “strongly differing views about how to proceed in December” at the policy meeting and a further reduction in rates is not “a foregone conclusion.”On Wednesday, the Fed also said it would stop reducing the size of its massive securities holdings, which it accumulated during the pandemic and after the 2008-2009 Great Recession. The change, to take effect Dec. 1, could over time slightly reduce longer-term interest rates on things like mortgages but won't have much impact on consumer borrowing costs.The Fed purchased nearly $5 trillion of Treasury securities and mortgage-backed bonds from 2020 to 2022 to stabilize financial markets during the pandemic and keep longer-term interest rates low. The bond-buying lifted its securities holdings to $9 trillion.In the past three years, however, the Fed has reduced its holdings to about $6.6 trillion. To shrink its holdings, the Fed lets securities mature without replacing them, reducing bank reserves. In recent months, however, the reductions appeared to disrupt money markets, threatening to push up shorter-term interest rates.Two of the 12 officials who vote on the Fed’s rate decisions dissented, but in different directions. Fed governor Stephen Miran dissented for the second straight meeting in favor of a half-point cut. Miran was appointed by President Donald Trump just before the central bank’s last meeting in September.Jeffrey Schmid, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, voted against the move because he preferred no change to the Fed’s rate. Schmid has previously expressed concern that inflation remains too high.Trump has repeatedly attacked Powell for not reducing borrowing costs more quickly. In South Korea early Wednesday he repeated his criticisms of the Fed chair.“He’s out of there in another couple of months,” Trump said. Powell’s term ends in May. On Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-trump-independence-inflation-5c8cfa5816845d4f005db51c91cdab0d">confirmed</a>&nbsp;the administration is considering five people to replace Powell, and will decide by the end of this year.Meanwhile, the government shutdown has interrupted economic data. September's jobs report, scheduled to be released three weeks ago, is still postponed. This month's hiring figures, to be released Nov. 7, will likely be delayed and may be less comprehensive when they are finally released. And the White House said last week that October's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-shutdown-no-report-70a0e2773445ded8a7239c4899fc410c">inflation report</a>&nbsp;may never be issued at all.The data drought raises risks for the Fed because it is widely expected to keep cutting rates in an effort to shore up growth and hiring. Yet should job gains pick up soon, the Fed may not detect the change. And if hiring rebounds after weak job gains during the summer, further rate cuts may not be justified.Before the government shutdown cut off the flow of data Oct. 1, monthly hiring gains had weakened to an average of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-economy-unemployment-trump-firing-f686eab61f7d6b702ca10b12b0250498">just 29,000 a month</a>&nbsp;for the previous three months, according to the Labor Department's data. The unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.3% in August from 4.2% in July.More recently, several large corporations have announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/layoffs-2025-amazon-ups-job-cuts-8413af9ac5b434b092ed76d6fa6cd196">sweeping layoffs</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ups-amazon-layoffs-turnaround-85afc1c459883f41a2283c8394ce1eaf">UPS</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-layoff-ai-14000-artificial-intelligence-cb64af47ebb794541fbdfa8fd264932c">Amazon</a>, and Target, which threatens to boost the unemployment rate if it continues.Meanwhile, last week’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-inflation-trump-prices-economy-wall-street-fed-consumers-280a2fd30de3bb44bd87cd0248082322">inflation report</a>&nbsp;— released more than a week late because of the shutdown — showed that inflation remains elevated but isn’t accelerating and may not need higher interest rates to tame it.The government's first report on the economy's growth in the July-September quarter was scheduled to be published on Thursday, but will be delayed, as will Friday's report on consumer spending that also includes the Fed's preferred inflation measure.Fed officials say they are monitoring a range of other data, including some issued by the private sector, and don't feel handicapped by the lack of government reports.

🎥Good news for borrowers despite federal gov't shutdown 

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansans who receive food assistance or are furloughed from federal jobs are scrambling to pay bills and feed their families as the federal government shutdown drags on.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Tuesday was the deadline for the federal government to reopen so that November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments could go out to beneficiaries. It takes 72 hours for the payments to process, according to the Kansas Department for Children and Families.

More than 93,000 Kansas households — nearly 188,000 Kansans — use SNAP benefits to put food on their tables, DCF said in a press release. The bulk of those using SNAP are children.

As politicians on both sides exchange barbs on social media and in news releases about who is at fault for shutting down the government, Kansans like Daniel Scharpenburg, of Overland Park, are carefully tracking their bank account balances. He’s worried about a teenage son with a big appetite and the possibility of empty kitchen cabinets.

Scharpenburg, 45, is furloughed from the Internal Revenue Service office in Kansas City, Missouri. He worked the first five days of the shutdown, leaving Oct. 8 and receiving a paycheck in mid-October for those days of work.&nbsp;

“I have to be very careful with my bills, because I have now missed a paycheck,” he said. “I’m having to rely on food banks and things like that to make sure I have food. If I start thinking about my car payment and my phone bill and my rent, I’m gonna go crazy. I really do have to focus on the next bill that’s due and hope for the best.”

Scharpenburg is applying for jobs in the Kansas City area but isn’t having much luck. He said all furloughed workers in the area are competing for jobs.

The IRS location employs about 6,000 people, and reports from the federal government indicate about half of IRS workers have been furloughed, he said. Housing and Urban Development also has a Kansas City office, and those employees are affected by the shutdown too, Scharpenburg said.

Scharpenburg’s ex-wife is also a furloughed IRS employee, and he worries that his 15-year-old son at home will eventually be affected by the situation.

“I really thought it would be over before now,” Scharpenburg said. “In another week, it’s going to break the record for longest shutdown if it keeps going, and that’s not a record I want to see broken. So, yeah, I am worried that it will go on longer.”

Scharpenburg is first vice president in the National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 66, which covers Kansas City, Missouri. In that role, he’s hearing daily from furloughed employees who are scared and frustrated.

The union put together lists of food banks and other local resources, he said.&nbsp;

“But you know, it’s hard times for a lot of people, so it seems like the resources we lean on to help us are being stretched thin, just like just like our dollars are,” he said.

Scharpenburg said union members tell him that landlords and bankers have been willing to work with furloughed employees, knowing that eventually they’ll get back pay. The idea floated in Washington of withholding back pay was like a “slap in the face,” he said.

“When a politician says something like that, it feels like, oh, they don’t respect our work at all,” he said. “I am nervous. The law is clear that we will get paid at the end of this, but that being said, if Congress could pass something to change that … I don’t know what will happen if the executive branch were to decide just to not pay us. They’d have to go to court, but I don’t know if that would be resolved quickly.”

Many pantries statewide are stretching to meet community needs generated by rising prices and furloughed employees. Now, missing SNAP payments are expected to intensify the situation, said Debbie Johns, director of the Geary County Food Pantry.

Located in Junction City, the food pantry has been adding 12 to 15 new families each time it has a food distribution, Johns said. Typically, the organization sees just three to five new families each time it opens its doors, she said.

“It’s a little scary,” Johns said. “We’ve got a pretty good stock but you just see it go each time. If they clear the shelves, how long are we going to be able to keep up with this?”

Johns said the food pantry adapted its guidelines to make sure they are able to serve furloughed federal employees. Many of them work at Fort Riley and would exceed income guidelines.

Johns is grateful many in the Geary County area are donating food and holding food drives to help out. The county has the highest child food insecurity rate in Kansas, she said, so all of the challenges this year have made the problem worse.

Gov. Laura Kelly added food drives to the remaining stops on her statewide&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.ks.gov/Home/Components/News/News/796/55#!/" target="_blank">“The People’s Budget” listening tour</a>&nbsp;because of the widespread need. Working in partnership with the Kansas Food Bank and Harvesters — The Community Food Network, she encouraged anyone attending the town hall events to bring nonperishable, nonglass food items.

“As the federal government shutdown continues to drag on, Kansans who are furloughed, and especially those who receive SNAP and WIC benefits, are caught in the crossfire,” Kelly said.&nbsp;

Kelly also announced this week that she joined a coalition of 22 states and two governors in suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins for “unlawfully suspending” SNAP funds during the government shutdown.&nbsp;

“States cannot, and should not, take on the federal government’s responsibility to fund SNAP,” Kelly said in a news release. “Cutting off SNAP payments is an unprecedented choice made by the Trump Administration and Congress that will harm millions of families across the country. I joined this lawsuit to protect Kansans, because the federal government has a legal and moral responsibility to fund this program, not to take food out of the mouths of Kansas children.”

Grocery stores are planning for changed buying patterns as SNAP funding cuts off, said Jon McCormick, president and CEO at Retail Grocers Association, Kansas and Missouri.

SNAP benefits put nearly $33 million each month into the Kansas economy, according to the USDA.&nbsp;

The effect on grocery stores of missing SNAP payments will be “immediate,” McCormick said, although multiple factors determine the effect in specific stores.

“A store in Lenexa is going to have minimal SNAP recipients shopping,” he said. “A store in the urban core of Wichita is totally different.That could be 40% of the business. It certainly is going to affect the urban core stores and the very small rural stores.”

McCormick serves on the National Grocers Association government relations committee, and he visited Washington, D.C., last week to discuss resolutions to continue SNAP funding.

“For us as an industry, including all food manufacturers and providers, it is disruptive for the customer. It’s disruptive for the supply chain. It’s disruptive for the retailer,” he said, adding that he’s confident retailers will be able to manage through this challenge.

“The independent retailer is rather resilient and creative when it comes to adversity,” McCormick said.

Grocery store owners and managers across the state are unsure exactly how they will be affected when SNAP payments stop. Some, like Pam Budenbender, owner of Onaga Country Market, don’t expect to see many changes because her store doesn’t serve many people using SNAP.&nbsp;

However, she said she’s worried about a customer who is deaf and needs the benefit to buy food. Budenbender already helps her out as much as she can.&nbsp;

Scott Bird, co-owner of Family Market in Quinter, said his store definitely will be affected, as it participates in eWIC, part of the Women, Infant and Children’s program that offers supplemental nutrition for mothers and infants.

“It definitely will have an effect on small-town stores and people who need those services,” he said.

He isn’t yet adapting inventory but is in a “wait-and-see” mode, Bird added.

Others affected by the federal government shutdown include banks, mortgage companies and property management companies that rent apartments.

“Kansas banks and bankers stand ready to work with and support their customers who may be facing any hardships due to the current federal government shutdown,” said Doug Wareham, president and CEO of the Kansas Bankers Association.&nbsp;

In a statement, he encouraged federal employees to reach out to their banks as soon as possible to discuss their personal situation and see what help may be available, including potential fee waivers, payment deadline extensions, or other accommodations.

“The banking industry will continue to support Kansans through major challenges such as this shutdown just as we did during the pandemic and previous interruptions in government operations,” Wareham said.

Gary Olds, with the Geary County Landlords Association, said it is early in the shutdown to determine how landlords will manage missed rental payments. The Junction City area is military-dependent, he said.&nbsp;

“I think in general, landlords are going to try to work with military with regards to the rent, but that’s a broadbrush statement on my part,” he said. “Most landlords can probably weather about 30 days because they have the security deposit. Hopefully at least some of the tenants that are military have some level of savings that can make a payment or make a partial payment.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761760838341.png" alt=" Julia Loper works at the Geary County Food Pantry in Junction City, stocking shelves and helping customers. Like many food pantries across Kansas, the organization is struggling to meet community needs. (Submitted)" />
 <figcaption> Julia Loper works at the Geary County Food Pantry in Junction City, stocking shelves and helping customers. Like many food pantries across Kansas, the organization is struggling to meet community needs. (Submitted)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansans who receive food assistance or are furloughed from federal jobs are scrambling to pay bills and feed their families as the federal government shutdown drags on.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tuesday was the deadline for the federal government to reopen so that November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments could go out to beneficiaries. It takes 72 hours for the payments to process, according to the Kansas Department for Children and Families.More than 93,000 Kansas households — nearly 188,000 Kansans — use SNAP benefits to put food on their tables, DCF said in a press release. The bulk of those using SNAP are children.As politicians on both sides exchange barbs on social media and in news releases about who is at fault for shutting down the government, Kansans like Daniel Scharpenburg, of Overland Park, are carefully tracking their bank account balances. He’s worried about a teenage son with a big appetite and the possibility of empty kitchen cabinets.Scharpenburg, 45, is furloughed from the Internal Revenue Service office in Kansas City, Missouri. He worked the first five days of the shutdown, leaving Oct. 8 and receiving a paycheck in mid-October for those days of work.&nbsp;“I have to be very careful with my bills, because I have now missed a paycheck,” he said. “I’m having to rely on food banks and things like that to make sure I have food. If I start thinking about my car payment and my phone bill and my rent, I’m gonna go crazy. I really do have to focus on the next bill that’s due and hope for the best.”Scharpenburg is applying for jobs in the Kansas City area but isn’t having much luck. He said all furloughed workers in the area are competing for jobs.The IRS location employs about 6,000 people, and reports from the federal government indicate about half of IRS workers have been furloughed, he said. Housing and Urban Development also has a Kansas City office, and those employees are affected by the shutdown too, Scharpenburg said.Scharpenburg’s ex-wife is also a furloughed IRS employee, and he worries that his 15-year-old son at home will eventually be affected by the situation.“I really thought it would be over before now,” Scharpenburg said. “In another week, it’s going to break the record for longest shutdown if it keeps going, and that’s not a record I want to see broken. So, yeah, I am worried that it will go on longer.”Scharpenburg is first vice president in the National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 66, which covers Kansas City, Missouri. In that role, he’s hearing daily from furloughed employees who are scared and frustrated.The union put together lists of food banks and other local resources, he said.&nbsp;“But you know, it’s hard times for a lot of people, so it seems like the resources we lean on to help us are being stretched thin, just like just like our dollars are,” he said.Scharpenburg said union members tell him that landlords and bankers have been willing to work with furloughed employees, knowing that eventually they’ll get back pay. The idea floated in Washington of withholding back pay was like a “slap in the face,” he said.“When a politician says something like that, it feels like, oh, they don’t respect our work at all,” he said. “I am nervous. The law is clear that we will get paid at the end of this, but that being said, if Congress could pass something to change that … I don’t know what will happen if the executive branch were to decide just to not pay us. They’d have to go to court, but I don’t know if that would be resolved quickly.”<h2>Food pantries struggling</h2>Many pantries statewide are stretching to meet community needs generated by rising prices and furloughed employees. Now, missing SNAP payments are expected to intensify the situation, said Debbie Johns, director of the Geary County Food Pantry.Located in Junction City, the food pantry has been adding 12 to 15 new families each time it has a food distribution, Johns said. Typically, the organization sees just three to five new families each time it opens its doors, she said.“It’s a little scary,” Johns said. “We’ve got a pretty good stock but you just see it go each time. If they clear the shelves, how long are we going to be able to keep up with this?”Johns said the food pantry adapted its guidelines to make sure they are able to serve furloughed federal employees. Many of them work at Fort Riley and would exceed income guidelines.Johns is grateful many in the Geary County area are donating food and holding food drives to help out. The county has the highest child food insecurity rate in Kansas, she said, so all of the challenges this year have made the problem worse.Gov. Laura Kelly added food drives to the remaining stops on her statewide&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.ks.gov/Home/Components/News/News/796/55#!/" target="_blank">“The People’s Budget” listening tour</a>&nbsp;because of the widespread need. Working in partnership with the Kansas Food Bank and Harvesters — The Community Food Network, she encouraged anyone attending the town hall events to bring nonperishable, nonglass food items.“As the federal government shutdown continues to drag on, Kansans who are furloughed, and especially those who receive SNAP and WIC benefits, are caught in the crossfire,” Kelly said.&nbsp;Kelly also announced this week that she joined a coalition of 22 states and two governors in suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins for “unlawfully suspending” SNAP funds during the government shutdown.&nbsp;“States cannot, and should not, take on the federal government’s responsibility to fund SNAP,” Kelly said in a news release. “Cutting off SNAP payments is an unprecedented choice made by the Trump Administration and Congress that will harm millions of families across the country. I joined this lawsuit to protect Kansans, because the federal government has a legal and moral responsibility to fund this program, not to take food out of the mouths of Kansas children.”<h2>Economic challenges</h2>Grocery stores are planning for changed buying patterns as SNAP funding cuts off, said Jon McCormick, president and CEO at Retail Grocers Association, Kansas and Missouri.SNAP benefits put nearly $33 million each month into the Kansas economy, according to the USDA.&nbsp;The effect on grocery stores of missing SNAP payments will be “immediate,” McCormick said, although multiple factors determine the effect in specific stores.“A store in Lenexa is going to have minimal SNAP recipients shopping,” he said. “A store in the urban core of Wichita is totally different.That could be 40% of the business. It certainly is going to affect the urban core stores and the very small rural stores.”McCormick serves on the National Grocers Association government relations committee, and he visited Washington, D.C., last week to discuss resolutions to continue SNAP funding.“For us as an industry, including all food manufacturers and providers, it is disruptive for the customer. It’s disruptive for the supply chain. It’s disruptive for the retailer,” he said, adding that he’s confident retailers will be able to manage through this challenge.“The independent retailer is rather resilient and creative when it comes to adversity,” McCormick said.Grocery store owners and managers across the state are unsure exactly how they will be affected when SNAP payments stop. Some, like Pam Budenbender, owner of Onaga Country Market, don’t expect to see many changes because her store doesn’t serve many people using SNAP.&nbsp;However, she said she’s worried about a customer who is deaf and needs the benefit to buy food. Budenbender already helps her out as much as she can.&nbsp;Scott Bird, co-owner of Family Market in Quinter, said his store definitely will be affected, as it participates in eWIC, part of the Women, Infant and Children’s program that offers supplemental nutrition for mothers and infants.“It definitely will have an effect on small-town stores and people who need those services,” he said.He isn’t yet adapting inventory but is in a “wait-and-see” mode, Bird added.Others affected by the federal government shutdown include banks, mortgage companies and property management companies that rent apartments.“Kansas banks and bankers stand ready to work with and support their customers who may be facing any hardships due to the current federal government shutdown,” said Doug Wareham, president and CEO of the Kansas Bankers Association.&nbsp;In a statement, he encouraged federal employees to reach out to their banks as soon as possible to discuss their personal situation and see what help may be available, including potential fee waivers, payment deadline extensions, or other accommodations.“The banking industry will continue to support Kansans through major challenges such as this shutdown just as we did during the pandemic and previous interruptions in government operations,” Wareham said.Gary Olds, with the Geary County Landlords Association, said it is early in the shutdown to determine how landlords will manage missed rental payments. The Junction City area is military-dependent, he said.&nbsp;“I think in general, landlords are going to try to work with military with regards to the rent, but that’s a broadbrush statement on my part,” he said. “Most landlords can probably weather about 30 days because they have the security deposit. Hopefully at least some of the tenants that are military have some level of savings that can make a payment or make a partial payment.”

‘Hope for the best’: Government shutdown strains Kansas food resources, local businesses

SEDGWICK COUNTY— A man with a long criminal history who is accused in a deadly Wichita shooting will return to court Wednesday.&nbsp;

Elijah Fanning, 27, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Judge Rodger Woods courtroom, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In July, Fanning was charged with criminal discharge of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. According to online jail records he is facing charges of second degree murder along with drug and other weapons violations.

Just before 2:30 p.m. June 29, officers responded to a shooting in the 2700 block of W. 2nd Street in Wichita.

First responders found a man later identified as 26-year-old&nbsp;Nicholas Aldridge of Wichita man on the ground with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased, according to a media release from police. Detectives learned the shooting followed a disturbance between the Aldridge and four other men. All four fled the area before officers arrived.&nbsp; 

Just after 6p.m. June 29, police<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/inmatesearch/Details.aspx?Id=228061">&nbsp;booked&nbsp; Fanning</a>&nbsp;into the Sedgwick County Jail.&nbsp; He has previous convictions for kidnapping, burglary, theft and&nbsp;Criminal possess of a weapon by a felon, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1751242881236.png" alt="Police at the scene Sunday-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police at the scene Sunday-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY— A man with a long criminal history who is accused in a deadly Wichita shooting will return to court Wednesday.&nbsp;Elijah Fanning, 27, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Judge Rodger Woods courtroom, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.In July, Fanning was charged with criminal discharge of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. According to online jail records he is facing charges of second degree murder along with drug and other weapons violations.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751366599042.png" alt="Fanning-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Fanning-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 2:30 p.m. June 29, officers responded to a shooting in the 2700 block of W. 2nd Street in Wichita.First responders found a man later identified as 26-year-old&nbsp;Nicholas Aldridge of Wichita man on the ground with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased, according to a media release from police. Detectives learned the shooting followed a disturbance between the Aldridge and four other men. All four fled the area before officers arrived.&nbsp; Just after 6p.m. June 29, police<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/inmatesearch/Details.aspx?Id=228061">&nbsp;booked&nbsp; Fanning</a>&nbsp;into the Sedgwick County Jail.&nbsp; He has previous convictions for kidnapping, burglary, theft and&nbsp;Criminal possess of a weapon by a felon, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Preliminary hearing for Kansas felon accused in man's murder

WASHINGTON (AP) —The Trump administration has made 2026 Affordable Care Act health insurance plans available for enrollees to browse ahead of the start of the open enrollment period Saturday.

Americans who live in states that use the federally facilitated marketplace can now use the&nbsp;<a href="http://healthcare.gov/">Healthcare.gov</a>&nbsp;website to check the costs of next year’s plans, which are expected to rise sharply next year because of increasing health costs and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aca-credits-health-care-subsidies-government-shutdown-7f7a3609bf78dd7e43be9a041a090220">expiring subsidies</a>&nbsp;that have made the plans cheaper for consumers.

Window shopping was already available in many of the states that manage their own versions of the ACA marketplace.

The unveiling of next year’s plans comes after Democratic senators urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to make them available as soon as possible. Amid large-scale federal employee furloughs during the government shutdown, CMS temporarily&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/furloughed-workers-shutdown-health-insurance-medicare-aca-b2f45612f76888fb33e3f9eb6f5c0590">brought back</a>&nbsp;all its workers Monday, in part to help manage the ACA open enrollment period.

WASHINGTON (AP) —The Trump administration has made 2026 Affordable Care Act health insurance plans available for enrollees to browse ahead of the start of the open enrollment period Saturday.Americans who live in states that use the federally facilitated marketplace can now use the&nbsp;<a href="http://healthcare.gov/">Healthcare.gov</a>&nbsp;website to check the costs of next year’s plans, which are expected to rise sharply next year because of increasing health costs and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aca-credits-health-care-subsidies-government-shutdown-7f7a3609bf78dd7e43be9a041a090220">expiring subsidies</a>&nbsp;that have made the plans cheaper for consumers.Window shopping was already available in many of the states that manage their own versions of the ACA marketplace.The unveiling of next year’s plans comes after Democratic senators urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to make them available as soon as possible. Amid large-scale federal employee furloughs during the government shutdown, CMS temporarily&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/furloughed-workers-shutdown-health-insurance-medicare-aca-b2f45612f76888fb33e3f9eb6f5c0590">brought back</a>&nbsp;all its workers Monday, in part to help manage the ACA open enrollment period.

‘Window shopping’ opens for federal Affordable Care Act marketplace

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas teen on drug allegations.

On October 27, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit served a search warrant in 2800 BLK SE Powell Street in Topeka. related to an ongoing investigation, according to Topeka Police Lt. Ronnie Connell.

While conducting the search warrant, officers located marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

As a result, Isaiah Timmons, 19, was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections and is being held on requested charges of Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, Unlawful to acquire proceeds from drug transactions, Kansas Drug Tax, Transport open container of liquor, Liquor; Purchase/possess/consumption by minor 18-20 yrs and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761678946006.png" alt="Timmons photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Timmons photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas teen on drug allegations.On October 27, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit served a search warrant in 2800 BLK SE Powell Street in Topeka. related to an ongoing investigation, according to Topeka Police Lt. Ronnie Connell.While conducting the search warrant, officers located marijuana and drug paraphernalia.As a result, Isaiah Timmons, 19, was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections and is being held on requested charges of Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, Unlawful to acquire proceeds from drug transactions, Kansas Drug Tax, Transport open container of liquor, Liquor; Purchase/possess/consumption by minor 18-20 yrs and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police: Kansas teen jailed for selling marijuana

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/stan-choe">STAN CHOE</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/cora-lewis">CORA LEWIS</a>

NEW YORK (AP) — Almost everything in your 401(k) should be coming up a winner now. That makes it time for a gut check.

Not only is the U.S. stock market&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-nikkei-trump-china-7d7150df20283db5a295abc64d225a63" rel="nofollow">setting records</a>, so are foreign stocks. Bond funds, which are supposed to be the boring and safe part of any portfolio, are also doing well this year, along with gold and cryptocurrencies.

But in the midst of all the fun, it can pay to remember how you felt&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-tariffs-china-trump-b686ef0259c2f4894f9fcd1f3649a956" rel="nofollow">during April</a>. That’s when financial markets were tumbling because of worldwide tariffs that President Donald Trump announced on his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-liberation-day-2a031b3c16120a5672a6ddd01da09933" rel="nofollow">“Liberation Day.”</a>

Did all that fear push you to sell your stocks, lock in the losses and miss out on the stunning rebound that came afterward? Or did you&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/investing-tariffs-retirement-stocks-diversification-portfolio-ee662f0f5a84aa483ca741351e23d876" rel="nofollow">hold tight</a>, as many financial advisers suggested? Either way, it’s valuable information because another downturn could strike at any time.

To be sure, many professionals along Wall Street are forecasting that the U.S. stock market will keep rising. But the threat of a sharp drop remains, as it always does. That leaves investors with the luxury now, while prices are high, to reassess. Don’t get lulled into leaving your 401(k) on autopilot, unless you’re intentionally doing so, and make sure your portfolio isn’t stuffed with too much risk.

It’s been another fabulous year for stocks. The S&amp;P 500 has soared more than 35% from its low point in April, shortly after “Liberation Day.”

The market has had a few hiccups recently, as worries have popped up about everything from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-china-trump-earnings-21887690dfa4c47d05eebf6153f2e7c4" rel="nofollow">potentially bad loans</a>&nbsp;at some banks to renewed talk about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-ai-f2c8bcc1f46043ab504cf4b0281e3401" rel="nofollow">much higher tariffs on China</a>. But stocks have come back from each stumble, only to push higher.

“The market continues to (hit) record highs on the back of strong earnings and easing U.S.–China trade tensions,” said Mark Hackett, chief market strategist at Nationwide, who calls the current state of “steady growth without irrational exuberance” a ”Goldilocks environment.”

If the market’s great, why should I worry?

You don’t need to worry at the moment, but remember that the stock market will fall eventually. It always does.

The S&amp;P 500 index, which sits at the heart of many 401(k) accounts, has forced investors to swallow&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-correction-sp-wall-street-904910323785d377a7d61023df450b72" rel="nofollow">a 10% drop</a>&nbsp;every couple of years or so, on average. That’s what Wall Street calls a “correction,” and professional investors see them as ways to clear out excessive optimism that may have built up and pushed prices too high. More serious drops of at least 20%, which Wall Street calls&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bear-market-stocks-market-tariffs-trump-sp-500-c5d106a80666c0ff4f0e71624d525158" rel="nofollow">“bear markets,”</a>&nbsp;are less common but can last for years.

Back in April, the S&amp;P 500 index plunged nearly 20% from its record at the time. But the market came back, propelled by the big tech companies that have led the way the last few years.

“Fundamentally superior stocks recover quickly and bounce like fresh tennis balls, while fundamentally inferior stocks bounce like rocks.” said Louis Navellier, founder and chief investment officer of asset manager Navellier &amp; Associates, who also brushed off worries that the stock market is in a bubble.

The stock market has charged to records because investors are expecting several important things to happen. If any fail to pan out, it would undercut the market.

Chief among those expectations is that big U.S. companies will continue to deliver big growth in profits. That’s one of the few ways they can justify the jumps for their stock prices and quiet criticism that they’ve become too expensive.

Critics point in particular to the frenzy going on in artificial-intelligence technology. There, they hear echoes of the dot-com bonanza that ultimately imploded in 2000 and sent stocks on a yearslong descent. One popular measure of valuing stocks, which looks at corporate profits over the preceding 10 years, showed the S&amp;P 500 recently was near its most expensive level since the 2000 dot-com bubble.

Consider Nvidia, the chip company that’s become the poster child of the AI trade. If it fails to meet analysts’ high expectations for growth, its stock will look more expensive than it already does. It’s trading at 54 times its earnings per share over the last 12 months, much higher than the overall S&amp;P 500’s price-earnings ratio of nearly 30.

What’s the next event to be mindful of?

Wednesday’s meeting of the Federal Reserve could be a key moment for the market.

Besides companies delivering bigger profits or stock prices falling, another way for the stock market to look less expensive is if interest rates ease.

The widespread expectation is that the Fed will cut its main interest rate to support the slowing job market and deliver more reductions through next year. But the Fed has also warned it may hold off on cuts if inflation accelerates beyond its still-high level. That’s because lower interest rates can make inflation worse, and Wednesday’s focus will be on whether the Fed gives any hints about the likelihood of more cuts in coming months.

Several of Wall Street’s most influential stocks will also be reporting their latest earnings results this week, including Microsoft and Apple. And Trump will be meeting with China’s leader, Xi Jinping on Thursday. The market has already run up on hopes that the two will ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-united-states-trump-xi-timeline-tariffs-adc2c2c00f13d8dcd4ecc92251b11533" rel="nofollow">rising trade tensions</a>&nbsp;at some point.

If there’s a bubble, I should sell everything, right?

A famous saying on Wall Street is that being too early is the same as being wrong.

Consider prescient investors who knew that stocks were too expensive when former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan famously talked about the possibility of “irrational exuberance” in financial markets. That was in late 1996.

If they sold then, they would have missed out as the bubble inflated further and the S&amp;P 500 more than doubled through late March 2000 before it popped.

Instead, the better way to think of it may be: Make sure your investments are set up the right way, so you can stomach the market whether it goes up or down.

How much of my 401(k) should be in stocks?

It depends on your age and how much risk you’re willing to take.

If you did sell stocks this past April, you may have had too much of your portfolio in stocks for your risk tolerance. Or you may need to steel yourself more during the next drop.

Remember that anyone decades away from retirement has the luxury of waiting out any drops in the market. Bear markets are actually great in that case, because they put stocks on sale for anyone continuing to make regular contributions to their 401(k) account.

Workers closer to retirement still need stocks, though in smaller proportions, because they have historically provided the highest returns over the long term, and a retirement can last decades.

“They aren’t the most sexy, but companies with dependable dividends are a good bet, as are simple index funds designed to track the S&amp;P 500 or a subset aimed at value or growth,” said John Kiernan, managing editor of personal finance site WalletHub.

“Young people need to grow their money over time, and they will have decades to make up for any losses,” Kiernan said. “Older people need to protect the money they have now, which might mean favoring bonds and high-yield savings accounts over risky investments.”

It’s easy to see how much stock retirement savers are recommended to hold at various ages. Mutual-fund companies have target-date retirement funds, which are built as autopilot products that will automatically move investors from lots of stocks when they’re young to fewer stocks when they’re closer to retirement.

The average target-date fund for workers just starting their careers had 92% of its portfolio invested in stocks at the end of last year, according to Morningstar. Target-date funds designed for people entering retirement have a bit under 50% invested in stocks, meanwhile.

Unfortunately, it’s the price you have to pay if you want the strong returns that the U.S. stock market has historically provided over the long term.

This is what the stock market does. It goes up and down, sometimes by shocking amounts, but it usually helps patient savers build their nest eggs over decades.

Ben Fulton, CEO of WEBs investments, recommends monitoring volatility by paying attention to the VIX, a volatility index, sometimes called the “fear index, which measures market expectations of future risk. The VIX is currently around 16, which Fulton said signals ”calm by historical standards.”

“When the VIX begins to hold consistently above 20, it often signals a time to gradually reduce market exposure,” he said. That happened during the tech bubble and more recently during the pandemic in 2020 and when inflation spiked in 2022.

“Until then, maintaining positions is critical, as markets that rise steadily can continue longer than logic might suggest, and stepping aside too early can mean missing valuable portfolio appreciation,” Fulton said.

“Markets rarely behave as we want, instead reflecting the collective sentiment of all investors.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722962507580.png" alt="AP File Photo/Richard Drew" />
 <figcaption>AP File Photo/Richard Drew</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/stan-choe">STAN CHOE</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/cora-lewis">CORA LEWIS</a>NEW YORK (AP) — Almost everything in your 401(k) should be coming up a winner now. That makes it time for a gut check.Not only is the U.S. stock market&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-nikkei-trump-china-7d7150df20283db5a295abc64d225a63" rel="nofollow">setting records</a>, so are foreign stocks. Bond funds, which are supposed to be the boring and safe part of any portfolio, are also doing well this year, along with gold and cryptocurrencies.But in the midst of all the fun, it can pay to remember how you felt&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-tariffs-china-trump-b686ef0259c2f4894f9fcd1f3649a956" rel="nofollow">during April</a>. That’s when financial markets were tumbling because of worldwide tariffs that President Donald Trump announced on his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-liberation-day-2a031b3c16120a5672a6ddd01da09933" rel="nofollow">“Liberation Day.”</a>Did all that fear push you to sell your stocks, lock in the losses and miss out on the stunning rebound that came afterward? Or did you&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/investing-tariffs-retirement-stocks-diversification-portfolio-ee662f0f5a84aa483ca741351e23d876" rel="nofollow">hold tight</a>, as many financial advisers suggested? Either way, it’s valuable information because another downturn could strike at any time.To be sure, many professionals along Wall Street are forecasting that the U.S. stock market will keep rising. But the threat of a sharp drop remains, as it always does. That leaves investors with the luxury now, while prices are high, to reassess. Don’t get lulled into leaving your 401(k) on autopilot, unless you’re intentionally doing so, and make sure your portfolio isn’t stuffed with too much risk.Here are some things to keep in mind:<h2>The stock market is doing well?</h2>It’s been another fabulous year for stocks. The S&amp;P 500 has soared more than 35% from its low point in April, shortly after “Liberation Day.”The market has had a few hiccups recently, as worries have popped up about everything from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-china-trump-earnings-21887690dfa4c47d05eebf6153f2e7c4" rel="nofollow">potentially bad loans</a>&nbsp;at some banks to renewed talk about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-ai-f2c8bcc1f46043ab504cf4b0281e3401" rel="nofollow">much higher tariffs on China</a>. But stocks have come back from each stumble, only to push higher.“The market continues to (hit) record highs on the back of strong earnings and easing U.S.–China trade tensions,” said Mark Hackett, chief market strategist at Nationwide, who calls the current state of “steady growth without irrational exuberance” a ”Goldilocks environment.”<h2>If the market’s great, why should I worry?</h2>You don’t need to worry at the moment, but remember that the stock market will fall eventually. It always does.The S&amp;P 500 index, which sits at the heart of many 401(k) accounts, has forced investors to swallow&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-correction-sp-wall-street-904910323785d377a7d61023df450b72" rel="nofollow">a 10% drop</a>&nbsp;every couple of years or so, on average. That’s what Wall Street calls a “correction,” and professional investors see them as ways to clear out excessive optimism that may have built up and pushed prices too high. More serious drops of at least 20%, which Wall Street calls&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bear-market-stocks-market-tariffs-trump-sp-500-c5d106a80666c0ff4f0e71624d525158" rel="nofollow">“bear markets,”</a>&nbsp;are less common but can last for years.Back in April, the S&amp;P 500 index plunged nearly 20% from its record at the time. But the market came back, propelled by the big tech companies that have led the way the last few years.“Fundamentally superior stocks recover quickly and bounce like fresh tennis balls, while fundamentally inferior stocks bounce like rocks.” said Louis Navellier, founder and chief investment officer of asset manager Navellier &amp; Associates, who also brushed off worries that the stock market is in a bubble.<h2>What could trip up the market?</h2>The stock market has charged to records because investors are expecting several important things to happen. If any fail to pan out, it would undercut the market.Chief among those expectations is that big U.S. companies will continue to deliver big growth in profits. That’s one of the few ways they can justify the jumps for their stock prices and quiet criticism that they’ve become too expensive.Critics point in particular to the frenzy going on in artificial-intelligence technology. There, they hear echoes of the dot-com bonanza that ultimately imploded in 2000 and sent stocks on a yearslong descent. One popular measure of valuing stocks, which looks at corporate profits over the preceding 10 years, showed the S&amp;P 500 recently was near its most expensive level since the 2000 dot-com bubble.Consider Nvidia, the chip company that’s become the poster child of the AI trade. If it fails to meet analysts’ high expectations for growth, its stock will look more expensive than it already does. It’s trading at 54 times its earnings per share over the last 12 months, much higher than the overall S&amp;P 500’s price-earnings ratio of nearly 30.<h2>What’s the next event to be mindful of?</h2>Wednesday’s meeting of the Federal Reserve could be a key moment for the market.Besides companies delivering bigger profits or stock prices falling, another way for the stock market to look less expensive is if interest rates ease.The widespread expectation is that the Fed will cut its main interest rate to support the slowing job market and deliver more reductions through next year. But the Fed has also warned it may hold off on cuts if inflation accelerates beyond its still-high level. That’s because lower interest rates can make inflation worse, and Wednesday’s focus will be on whether the Fed gives any hints about the likelihood of more cuts in coming months.Several of Wall Street’s most influential stocks will also be reporting their latest earnings results this week, including Microsoft and Apple. And Trump will be meeting with China’s leader, Xi Jinping on Thursday. The market has already run up on hopes that the two will ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-united-states-trump-xi-timeline-tariffs-adc2c2c00f13d8dcd4ecc92251b11533" rel="nofollow">rising trade tensions</a>&nbsp;at some point.<h2>If there’s a bubble, I should sell everything, right?</h2>A famous saying on Wall Street is that being too early is the same as being wrong.Consider prescient investors who knew that stocks were too expensive when former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan famously talked about the possibility of “irrational exuberance” in financial markets. That was in late 1996.If they sold then, they would have missed out as the bubble inflated further and the S&amp;P 500 more than doubled through late March 2000 before it popped.Instead, the better way to think of it may be: Make sure your investments are set up the right way, so you can stomach the market whether it goes up or down.<h2>How much of my 401(k) should be in stocks?</h2>It depends on your age and how much risk you’re willing to take.If you did sell stocks this past April, you may have had too much of your portfolio in stocks for your risk tolerance. Or you may need to steel yourself more during the next drop.Remember that anyone decades away from retirement has the luxury of waiting out any drops in the market. Bear markets are actually great in that case, because they put stocks on sale for anyone continuing to make regular contributions to their 401(k) account.Workers closer to retirement still need stocks, though in smaller proportions, because they have historically provided the highest returns over the long term, and a retirement can last decades.“They aren’t the most sexy, but companies with dependable dividends are a good bet, as are simple index funds designed to track the S&amp;P 500 or a subset aimed at value or growth,” said John Kiernan, managing editor of personal finance site WalletHub.“Young people need to grow their money over time, and they will have decades to make up for any losses,” Kiernan said. “Older people need to protect the money they have now, which might mean favoring bonds and high-yield savings accounts over risky investments.”It’s easy to see how much stock retirement savers are recommended to hold at various ages. Mutual-fund companies have target-date retirement funds, which are built as autopilot products that will automatically move investors from lots of stocks when they’re young to fewer stocks when they’re closer to retirement.The average target-date fund for workers just starting their careers had 92% of its portfolio invested in stocks at the end of last year, according to Morningstar. Target-date funds designed for people entering retirement have a bit under 50% invested in stocks, meanwhile.<h2>I hate all this uncertainty</h2>Unfortunately, it’s the price you have to pay if you want the strong returns that the U.S. stock market has historically provided over the long term.This is what the stock market does. It goes up and down, sometimes by shocking amounts, but it usually helps patient savers build their nest eggs over decades.Ben Fulton, CEO of WEBs investments, recommends monitoring volatility by paying attention to the VIX, a volatility index, sometimes called the “fear index, which measures market expectations of future risk. The VIX is currently around 16, which Fulton said signals ”calm by historical standards.”“When the VIX begins to hold consistently above 20, it often signals a time to gradually reduce market exposure,” he said. That happened during the tech bubble and more recently during the pandemic in 2020 and when inflation spiked in 2022.“Until then, maintaining positions is critical, as markets that rise steadily can continue longer than logic might suggest, and stepping aside too early can mean missing valuable portfolio appreciation,” Fulton said.“Markets rarely behave as we want, instead reflecting the collective sentiment of all investors.”

The stock market is breaking records. Time for a gut check

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">Ariana Figueroa</a>

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Tuesday failed for the 13th time to advance a stopgap spending bill that would fund the government until Nov. 21 and end the nearly one-month government shutdown.

Tuesday was also the day when air traffic controllers, who are working without pay, missed their first full paychecks. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today" target="_blank">FlightAware delays tracker</a>&nbsp;reported 7,404 delays within, into or out of the United States on Monday and 161 cancellations within the U.S. A temporary ground stop&nbsp;<a href="https://abc7.com/post/ground-stop-issued-lax-due-staffing-issues-faa-reports/18073981/" target="_blank">was issued&nbsp;</a>at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday morning due to staffing issues.

In the nation’s capital, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00590.htm" target="_blank">54-45&nbsp;vote</a>&nbsp;was nearly identical to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/shutdown-day-22-sets-record-second-longest-us-history-no-sign-deal" target="_blank">previous 12 votes,</a>&nbsp;as Republicans and Democrats stuck to their positions. The legislation needed at least 60 votes to advance, under the Senate’s legislative filibuster.&nbsp;

Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and&nbsp;Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, both Democrats,&nbsp;and Maine independent Sen. Angus King voted with Republicans to advance the legislation. Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul voted no.

Democrats are under increasing pressure to pass the House-passed GOP stopgap measure, with 42 million Americans&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/upcoming-federal-food-assistance-pause-intensifies-shutdown-fight" target="_blank">at risk of losing food assistance</a>&nbsp;for November, many federal workers beginning to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pay-trump-and-congress-continues-shutdown-unless-they-ask-it-be-held" target="_blank">miss their paychecks&nbsp;</a>and one of the largest unions representing federal workers calling for an end to the government shutdown, now at day 28.&nbsp;

Amid the government shutdown, the Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-tried-lay-more-2000-interior-staff-shutdown-plan-now-hold" target="_blank">has moved to lay off federal workers,</a>&nbsp;and a federal judge is holding a Tuesday hearing to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-broadens-order-blocking-trump-administration-layoffs-during-shutdown" target="_blank">consider a preliminary injunction</a>&nbsp;to block the mass Reductions in Force, or RIFs.

As President Donald Trump continues his overseas travel throughout Asia meeting with foreign leaders, Vice President JD Vance&nbsp;joined&nbsp;Senate Republicans during their Tuesday caucus lunch meeting.&nbsp;

Vance defended USDA’s decision to not tap into its contingency fund provided by Congress to continue food assistance benefits amid a funding lapse.

“We’re exploring all options,” Vance said.&nbsp;

Congress provided USDA with the multi-year contingency fund, which totals about $6 billion — short of the roughly $9 billion needed to cover a full month of SNAP benefits. USDA would have to reshuffle funds to provide November payments.&nbsp;

“We are trying as much as possible to ensure that critical food benefits get paid,” Vance said.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/democratic-ags-governors-sue-trump-over-snap-benefits-shutdown-hits-day-28" target="_blank">A coalition of Democratic state officials Tuesday sued</a>&nbsp;the Trump administration and urged a federal judge to force the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release SNAP benefits for 42 million people.

Vance called on five Democrats to join Senate Republicans in approving a short-term funding bill.

“If the Democrats just opened up the government, then we wouldn’t have to play this game where … we’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with the budget,” Vance said.&nbsp;

Democrats have continued to vote against the House’s GOP short-term spending bill to draw attention to and force negotiations on tax credits that will expire at the end of the year for people who buy their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. Republicans maintain the government must reopen before they begin any talks.

Republicans are also weighing whether to pass a stand-alone bill by GOP Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley to approve funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.&nbsp;

Ten Senate Republicans have joined to sponsor the bill, including&nbsp;Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins of Maine.&nbsp;One Democratic senator also cosponsored the bill, Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont.&nbsp;

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Democrats would also introduce their own separate bill to provide funding for not only SNAP, but for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC.

During a Tuesday press conference, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., did not seem receptive to scheduling a Senate vote on a stand-alone bill to address SNAP.&nbsp;

“I mean, this piecemeal approach where you do one off here, one off there, to make it seem more politically palatable to somebody…that is just a wrong way to do this,” Thune said.&nbsp;

Instead, he argued that Democrats should just support the stopgap spending bill.&nbsp;

Another critical deadline is approaching. Active-duty military members will miss their paychecks by Friday if the government is still in a funding lapse. The Trump administration already&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pentagon-shift-research-dollars-pay-troops-during-shutdown" target="_blank">reprogrammed $8 billion&nbsp;</a>earlier this month from multi-year research funds from the Defense Department in order to pay the troops.&nbsp;

However, Vance said the Trump administration expects to be able to pay troops this Friday, although the vice president didn’t detail where those funds would come from.

Before Tuesday morning’s vote, Thune said Democrats should listen to calls for an end to the shutdown from the&nbsp;American Federation of Government Employees, or AFGE, labor union, which typically aligns with Democrats.&nbsp;

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, also cited the call from AFGE, telling Democrats “you have an off-ramp,” during a Tuesday press conference.

“The largest unions are saying, ‘Please do this,’” Johnson said. “You can claim that as cover and say that you had to do it.”

Last week, there were dueling bills from both parties related to paying federal workers amid the shutdown,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-fails-move-ahead-bills-extending-pay-federal-workers-during-shutdown" target="_blank">but those efforts failed to meet the 60-vote threshold to move forward.</a>

The end of the 2019 government shutdown, which lasted 35 days, was in part due to shortages of air traffic controllers that upended air travel across the country and forced lawmakers to strike a deal.&nbsp;

Schumer critical of administration shutdown decisions

During a Tuesday press conference, Schumer slammed the Trump administration for refusing to tap into its contingency fund for SNAP.

“The money is there,” the New York Democrat said. “The hungry people, the hungry children, the hungry veterans, the hungry elderly, could be fed, but Trump’s using them as hostages.”

Of the 42 million people on SNAP, roughly 40% are children 17 and younger.&nbsp;

He also criticized Trump for traveling abroad and for his administration’s priority to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-press-secretary-defends-white-house-ballroom-project-amid-east-wing-teardown" target="_blank">demolish the East Wing of the White House</a>&nbsp;for a ballroom.&nbsp;

“His number one priority is his ballroom,” Schumer said. “When people are suffering, what kind of president is this?”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761667643773.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran casting his vote on Tuesday -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran casting his vote on Tuesday -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">Ariana Figueroa</a>WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Tuesday failed for the 13th time to advance a stopgap spending bill that would fund the government until Nov. 21 and end the nearly one-month government shutdown.Tuesday was also the day when air traffic controllers, who are working without pay, missed their first full paychecks. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today" target="_blank">FlightAware delays tracker</a>&nbsp;reported 7,404 delays within, into or out of the United States on Monday and 161 cancellations within the U.S. A temporary ground stop&nbsp;<a href="https://abc7.com/post/ground-stop-issued-lax-due-staffing-issues-faa-reports/18073981/" target="_blank">was issued&nbsp;</a>at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday morning due to staffing issues.In the nation’s capital, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00590.htm" target="_blank">54-45&nbsp;vote</a>&nbsp;was nearly identical to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/shutdown-day-22-sets-record-second-longest-us-history-no-sign-deal" target="_blank">previous 12 votes,</a>&nbsp;as Republicans and Democrats stuck to their positions. The legislation needed at least 60 votes to advance, under the Senate’s legislative filibuster.&nbsp;Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and&nbsp;Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, both Democrats,&nbsp;and Maine independent Sen. Angus King voted with Republicans to advance the legislation. Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul voted no.<h2>Vance defends SNAP cutoff</h2>Democrats are under increasing pressure to pass the House-passed GOP stopgap measure, with 42 million Americans&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/upcoming-federal-food-assistance-pause-intensifies-shutdown-fight" target="_blank">at risk of losing food assistance</a>&nbsp;for November, many federal workers beginning to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pay-trump-and-congress-continues-shutdown-unless-they-ask-it-be-held" target="_blank">miss their paychecks&nbsp;</a>and one of the largest unions representing federal workers calling for an end to the government shutdown, now at day 28.&nbsp;Amid the government shutdown, the Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-tried-lay-more-2000-interior-staff-shutdown-plan-now-hold" target="_blank">has moved to lay off federal workers,</a>&nbsp;and a federal judge is holding a Tuesday hearing to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-broadens-order-blocking-trump-administration-layoffs-during-shutdown" target="_blank">consider a preliminary injunction</a>&nbsp;to block the mass Reductions in Force, or RIFs.As President Donald Trump continues his overseas travel throughout Asia meeting with foreign leaders, Vice President JD Vance&nbsp;joined&nbsp;Senate Republicans during their Tuesday caucus lunch meeting.&nbsp;Vance defended USDA’s decision to not tap into its contingency fund provided by Congress to continue food assistance benefits amid a funding lapse.“We’re exploring all options,” Vance said.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761740650260.png" alt="After attending a caucus lunch meeting with Senate Republicans, Vice President JD Vance briefly speaks with reporters on day 28 of the government shutdown, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsoom)" />
 <figcaption>After attending a caucus lunch meeting with Senate Republicans, Vice President JD Vance briefly speaks with reporters on day 28 of the government shutdown, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsoom)</figcaption>
 </figure>Congress provided USDA with the multi-year contingency fund, which totals about $6 billion — short of the roughly $9 billion needed to cover a full month of SNAP benefits. USDA would have to reshuffle funds to provide November payments.&nbsp;“We are trying as much as possible to ensure that critical food benefits get paid,” Vance said.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/democratic-ags-governors-sue-trump-over-snap-benefits-shutdown-hits-day-28" target="_blank">A coalition of Democratic state officials Tuesday sued</a>&nbsp;the Trump administration and urged a federal judge to force the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release SNAP benefits for 42 million people.Vance called on five Democrats to join Senate Republicans in approving a short-term funding bill.“If the Democrats just opened up the government, then we wouldn’t have to play this game where … we’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with the budget,” Vance said.&nbsp;Democrats have continued to vote against the House’s GOP short-term spending bill to draw attention to and force negotiations on tax credits that will expire at the end of the year for people who buy their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. Republicans maintain the government must reopen before they begin any talks.<h2>Votes possible on SNAP funding</h2>Republicans are also weighing whether to pass a stand-alone bill by GOP Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley to approve funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.&nbsp;Ten Senate Republicans have joined to sponsor the bill, including&nbsp;Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins of Maine.&nbsp;One Democratic senator also cosponsored the bill, Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont.&nbsp;Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Democrats would also introduce their own separate bill to provide funding for not only SNAP, but for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC.During a Tuesday press conference, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., did not seem receptive to scheduling a Senate vote on a stand-alone bill to address SNAP.&nbsp;“I mean, this piecemeal approach where you do one off here, one off there, to make it seem more politically palatable to somebody…that is just a wrong way to do this,” Thune said.&nbsp;Instead, he argued that Democrats should just support the stopgap spending bill.&nbsp;Another critical deadline is approaching. Active-duty military members will miss their paychecks by Friday if the government is still in a funding lapse. The Trump administration already&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pentagon-shift-research-dollars-pay-troops-during-shutdown" target="_blank">reprogrammed $8 billion&nbsp;</a>earlier this month from multi-year research funds from the Defense Department in order to pay the troops.&nbsp;However, Vance said the Trump administration expects to be able to pay troops this Friday, although the vice president didn’t detail where those funds would come from.Before Tuesday morning’s vote, Thune said Democrats should listen to calls for an end to the shutdown from the&nbsp;American Federation of Government Employees, or AFGE, labor union, which typically aligns with Democrats.&nbsp;House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, also cited the call from AFGE, telling Democrats “you have an off-ramp,” during a Tuesday press conference.“The largest unions are saying, ‘Please do this,’” Johnson said. “You can claim that as cover and say that you had to do it.”Last week, there were dueling bills from both parties related to paying federal workers amid the shutdown,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-fails-move-ahead-bills-extending-pay-federal-workers-during-shutdown" target="_blank">but those efforts failed to meet the 60-vote threshold to move forward.</a>The end of the 2019 government shutdown, which lasted 35 days, was in part due to shortages of air traffic controllers that upended air travel across the country and forced lawmakers to strike a deal.&nbsp;<h2>Schumer critical of administration shutdown decisions</h2>During a Tuesday press conference, Schumer slammed the Trump administration for refusing to tap into its contingency fund for SNAP.“The money is there,” the New York Democrat said. “The hungry people, the hungry children, the hungry veterans, the hungry elderly, could be fed, but Trump’s using them as hostages.”Of the 42 million people on SNAP, roughly 40% are children 17 and younger.&nbsp;He also criticized Trump for traveling abroad and for his administration’s priority to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-press-secretary-defends-white-house-ballroom-project-amid-east-wing-teardown" target="_blank">demolish the East Wing of the White House</a>&nbsp;for a ballroom.&nbsp;“His number one priority is his ballroom,” Schumer said. “When people are suffering, what kind of president is this?”&nbsp;