��������

President Donald Trump’s administration faces deadlines on Monday to tell two federal judges whether it will comply with court orders that it continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown.
The US Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting Nov. 1 because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the shutdown. The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net — and it costs about $8 billion per month nationally.
The situation leaves millions with uncertainty about how they will feed themselves. Benefits will be delayed in November regardless of the outcome of the court cases because many beneficiaries have their cards recharged early in the month and the process of loading cards can take a week or more in many states.
Democratic state attorneys general or governors from 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia, challenged the plan to pause the program, contending that the administration has a legal obligation to keep it running in their jurisdictions. Cities and nonprofits also filed a lawsuit.
On Friday, judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ruled separately that the administration must continue to pay for SNAP. They both gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the program partially or in full for November.
The USDA has a $5 billion contingency fund for the program, but the Trump administration reversed an earlier agency plan to use that money to keep SNAP running. Democratic officials argue that the administration could also use a separate fund of about $23 billion.
US District Judge John J. McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, said SNAP must be funded using at least contingency funds, and he asked for an update on progress by Monday.
He said all previous work requirement waivers must continue to be honored. During the shutdown, the USDA has terminated existing waivers that exempted work requirements for older adults, veterans and others.
In Boston, US District Judge Indira Talwani ruled the suspension was unlawful and said USDA has to pay for SNAP. Talwani ordered the federal government to advise by Monday whether they will use emergency reserve funds to provide reduced SNAP benefits for November or fully fund the program using both contingency funds and additional available funds.
Advocates and beneficiaries say halting the food aid would force people to choose between buying groceries and paying other bills. The majority of states have announced more or expedited funding for food banks or novel ways to load at least some benefits onto the SNAP debit cards.
To qualify for SNAP in 2025, a family of four’s net income after certain expenses can’t exceed the federal poverty line, which is about $32,000 per year. Last year, SNAP assisted nearly 42 million people, about two-thirds of whom were families with children.

HONG KONG: On their last day at work, Hong Kong’s lawmakers – the first batch chosen under Beijing’s mantra of “patriots administering Hong Kong” – posed for group pictures, celebrating a job well done after four years of opposition-free politics.
But despite their smiles, around a third of them will not seek another term in December’s election, with the self-described non-establishment figure Tik Chi-yuen being among those bowing out.
“It used to be that (the legislature) had the benefit of free expression... Now it is more uniform. There are multiple voices but they are not diverse enough,” said Tik, comparing it with his experience as a rookie lawmaker in the 1990s.
Tik and some of his fellow departing lawmakers reflect how Hong Kong no longer tolerates even mild dissent in the legislative chamber, and that attempts to change the system from within have failed, according to scholars and observers.
The city had two decades of spirited opposition politics, which took off in the final years of British colonial rule and grew into a pro-democracy coalition in the 2010s before being wiped out.
“(Nowadays) a lot of the speeches have an echo chamber effect... The culture is monotonous, and those who are relatively lively have given up re-election,” said Kenneth Chan, a political scientist at Hong Kong Baptist University.
Departing legislators have cited reasons such as age and party strategy.
More than a dozen lawmakers declined to be interviewed by AFP.
City leader John Lee last week criticized those who “intentionally distorted” the changes in candidate lineups, adding it was natural for Beijing authorities to “express their care” on electoral issues.
Rubber stamp?
Beijing overhauled Hong Kong’s electoral system in 2021 to ensure only “patriots” could hold office, following the city’s huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests two years prior.
Before he started his four-year term, Tik vowed to get fellow lawmakers to debate the hot-button issue of universal suffrage to elect Hong Kong’s leader.
“I very much regret that I was unable to propose that motion,” he said, adding he had been too optimistic about having room to maneuver.
Asked if he felt he could go against Beijing’s wishes on certain bills, Tik replied, “There are red lines after the imposition of the national security law (in 2020). Whether you like it or not, that’s the reality.”
But veteran lawmaker Lo Wai-kwok, 72, said he preferred the new model over the filibuster tactics adopted by opposition “saboteurs” during the 2010s when he was first elected.
“We have become more efficient in reviewing the government’s proposals, funding applications and bills,” Lo said.
In terms of the number of bills passed, the latest cohort was the most productive since 2004.
Andrew Leung, the outgoing president of the legislature, did not agree that the institution had become a rubber stamp.
“If we are rubber stamp, we will not propose so many comments,” Leung said, referring to the approval of a homegrown national security law last year.
An NGO-affiliated policy researcher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said lawmakers were “passive” and that led to weaker government accountability.
“Overall the lawmakers asked far fewer questions. This affected the transparency of various public policies,” the source said, referring to the vetting of government budgets.
A September survey showed that only 30 percent were satisfied with the legislature, while 50 percent said they were not, according to a local think tank.
Time to ‘mobilize’
The first election held after Beijing’s 2021 overhaul – which involved national security vetting and higher nomination thresholds for candidates – had a record low turnout of 30 percent.
It also saw the rise of candidates with little local experience but strong ties to the Chinese state, nicknamed “national team” politicians, a trend expected to continue.
“Traditionally, more than half of Hong Kong voters supported pro-democracy parties. It is hard to imagine they felt closely connected to the legislature created in 2021,” said Chan, the political scientist.
December’s race will once again be devoid of the two largest pro-democracy parties: the Civic Party disbanded in 2023 and the Democratic Party is winding down.
Chan said Hong Kong officials were pulling all the stops to get people to vote.
“When every candidate is a patriot, and many of them belong to the ‘national team’... Then the (turnout) reflects the government’s ability to mobilize, and not the public’s level of interest,” he said.