Federal Updates: Emergency Protection for Food Assistance + Govt Shutdown

Posted by PA Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) on November 4, 2025

PA Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) has some late-breaking Halloween news: a big (although temporary) win for food assistance and an update on what may end up being the longest government shutdown in our country’s history.

Judge Issues Emergency Protection for Food Assistance

A huge thank-you to the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) for spending their Halloween in court, fighting alongside a broad coalition of other agencies to protect SNAP benefits. Just this afternoon, the federal court in Rhode Island issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) in a lawsuit brought by NCN and their fellow plaintiffs. This means that the Trump Administration must distribute contingency funds to continue food assistance.

Federal Government Shutdown – Day 31

October 31 marks day 31 of the federal government shutdown. With the House still out of session and Senators out of Washington for the weekend, this will likely become the longest-lasting shutdown in U.S. history.

While there had been some breakthrough signs that bipartisan negotiations could start as soon as next week, President Trump took to social media to encourage Senate Republicans to get rid of the filibuster and reopen the government without support from the Democrats. At this time, it is unclear how this will impact negotiations.

Read more about both issues.


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