Axios

EBT cards aren't expected to stop working when SNAP benefits freeze in November.

Why it matters: About 42 million Americans — or around 20 million households — are expected to lose access to their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits next month.

• EBT cards — used by recipients to spend SNAP funds — can still be used if they have leftover funds from previous months, experts said.
• However, experts said that many people spend their benefits during the month they're issued — so this is unlikely to help many.

Catch up quick: The government shutdown is expected to stretch into November. It has already disrupted air travel and food assistance.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture told states it won't provide November's SNAP payments and that the agency won't tap into emergency funds for food stamps.
• SNAP benefits will not be distributed Nov. 1, leaving many struggling to buy food and goods

Yes, but: People will still have access to their EBT cards.

Here's what to know.

EBT cards and SNAP benefits

Zoom in: Any SNAP funds unspent from October or previous months will roll over into November.

• Benefits do not expire for an entire calendar year, per the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
• DHS officials recommend SNAP recipients keep their cards locked and secure to avoid losing funds.

What they're saying: "Your existing card will continue to work, but your regular payment will not appear," said Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) in a press release. "Keep your EBT Card active."

• Mackenzie Libbey with Community Legal Services told CBS News: "That's money that's already been appropriated. It's been put on their card."
• "So we definitely do not want people rushing out to try to use up their benefits at the end of October thinking they're not going to be able to buy anything in November."

Yes, but: SNAP recipients often spend all of their benefits at once, or in the month they're issued, Axios' Emily Peck writes.

• "About 80 percent of benefits are spent in the first two weeks and 97 percent by the end of the month," said Lauren Bauer of the Brookings Institution.
• This spending becomes a key revenue driver for grocery stores, meaning a drop in SNAP benefits usage can lead to a broader decline in general spending, too, Peck writes.

States and SNAP benefits

The intrigue: Some states say they're unsure if EBT cards will still work in November and that families should plan ahead.

• New Hampshire, for example, recommends beneficiaries use all of their funds before Oct. 31.
• Oklahoma similarly urged families to budget ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline.

States are handling the lack of SNAP benefit funding differently.

• Virginia declared a state of emergency so it can use funds to pay for benefits.
• Colorado Gov. Jared Polis asked his state for up to $10 million to support food banks.

What happens to EBT, SNAP when shutdown ends

What's next: Many expect that when the shutdown ends, any missed benefits will be sent retroactively to EBT cards.

• Brown of Ohio recommends those in need still apply or renew their benefit application as needed so they don't lose help when the shutdown ends.

What to watch for: Food banks are already seeing a surge of people as millions of families prepare for benefits to freeze.

Emily Peck contributed to this report.

Go deeper:

• Virginia launches new food aid program to replace halted SNAP
• Two dozen states sue Trump administration over impending SNAP cuts
• How the SNAP freeze will squeeze Walmart and grocery stores

President Trump may be overseas, but his presence loomed large over an Nvidia conference in D.C. on Tuesday where CEO Jensen Huang lauded the administration's embrace of AI.

Why it matters: Huang has built a strong relationship with Trump, and Nvidia has been rewarded for it — from winning approval to export chips to China to preventing the National Guard deployment to San Francisco.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm on Tuesday — bringing an "EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION," per the National Hurricane Center.

The big picture: Officials confirmed three storm-related deaths on Monday evening, before the monster hurricane had made landfall in the Caribbean island nation.

By all accounts — even in the absence of government data — the U.S economy is growing strongly, driven by almost unfathomable levels of spending to build AI dominance.

• Just one caveat: Don't bother looking for a job.

The big picture: Some of America's largest and most important employers say they don't need to hire to keep growing, as AI takes the place of many workers and drives more productivity out of others.

Editor's note: For the latest on Hurricane Melissa, click here.

Hurricane Melissa strengthened into the world's most powerful storm of 2025 on Monday fueled by warmer ocean temperatures, as the Category 5 behemoth closed in on Jamaica ahead of its expected Tuesday landfall.

The big picture: The impacts of the storm that forecasters described as "catastrophic" were already being felt in Jamaica and three storm-related deaths were reported, the Jamaican Ministry of Health and Wellness said on X Monday evening.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he achieved his "goal" last week after his viral anti-tariff ad featuring former President Reagan prompted President Trump to cancel trade negotiations with Canada.

The big picture: Trump last week also vowed to raise Canada's tariffs by 10% over the ad, which was taken down Monday after drawing more than 1 billion views.

The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Joel Rayburn to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: Rayburn was controversial due to his alleged involvement in obscuring U.S. troop levels in Syria from President Trump in his first term, when he served as Trump's special envoy for Syria.

Hiring is under pressure, prices are still rising and tariff uncertainty remains. Goldman Sachs hopes to address these challenges this week during its 10,000 Small Businesses Summit in Washington, D.C., a mini-MBA for small-business owners.

Why it matters: Small businesses are the largest employers in the country, and Goldman hopes that its program can keep them on track amid a murky macro backdrop.

President Volodymyr Zelensky told Axios that President Trump's new sanctions will hurt the Russian war machine, but Ukraine still needs long-range missiles to force Vladimir Putin to make peace.

Why it matters: It's been a head-spinning two weeks for Zelensky. He was rebuffed by Trump over Tomahawk missiles in a tense meeting on Oct. 17, only for the diplomatic winds to suddenly shift. Trump scrapped a summit with Putin and imposed sanctions on Russia for the first time in his second term.

A U.S. Navy helicopter and a fighter jet crashed in the South China Sea in two separate incidents within 30 minutes of each other on Sunday, the Navy's Pacific Fleet said.

The big picture: The crews of both the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and the F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter that crashed 30 minutes later were all "safe and in stable condition" and "the cause of both incidents is currently under investigation," per U.S. Pacific Fleet posts to its social media channels.

A U.S. warship arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, prompting a Venezuelan official to accuse the neighboring Caribbean government of conducting "a military provocation" with the CIA.

The big picture: President Trump said earlier this month that he authorized the CIA to secretly conduct operations in Venezuela against drug cartels, but U.S. and Trinidadian and Tobagonian officials have said the presence of the American military in the region is part of long-standing ties between the two nations.