Thune Throws Cold Water On GOP ‘Rifle-Shot’ Shutdown Strategy As SNAP Recipients Plan ‘Shopping’ Sprees

The government shutdown is now in its 28th day, and the Capitol is as paralyzed as the agencies it funds. The House has been out of town for 39 days, while the Senate is in session – but with no clear endgame in sight.

On Monday, the largest federal worker’s union sided with the Republicans in calling for a ‘clean’ continuing resolution (CR) – which would immediately reopen the government while various pork is debated for subsequent bills. 

Inside Monday night’s closed-door GOP leadership meeting, Senate Majority Leader John Thune poured cold water on a plan that many Republicans once thought could turn the political tide: passing so-called “rifle-shot” bills to pay specific groups of federal workers such as the military, or air traffic controllers – while the broader standoff drags on, Punchbowl News reports.

According to two people familiar with the meeting, Thune warned colleagues that these piecemeal funding bills could actually ease the pressure on Democrats to cut a deal to reopen the government. “My view is what it has been from the very beginning, and that is to pay SNAP recipients by reopening the government. It’s not complicated,” Thune said.

White House Pushback

The Trump administration agrees with Thune – and has been privately telling Republican senators that the “rifle-shot” approach would let Democrats ‘bail themselves out of a crisis they created,’ according to Punchbowl, citing a person briefed on the conversation.

GOP leaders fear that once one narrow bill advances – to fund air traffic controllers, for example – others will follow: food assistance, small business loans, veterans’ programs. Each would remove another source of pressure to end the standoff altogether.

Union Pressure Tests Democrats

As we noted earlier, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) – the largest federal workers’ union – broke ranks Monday, urging Democrats to end the shutdown immediately.

That statement, plus an upcoming campaign by the air traffic controllers’ union to hand out anti-shutdown flyers at major airports, gave GOP leaders fresh hope that organized labor could crack Democratic resolve.

But so far, the impact has been minimal. Senate Democratic leaders largely shrugged off AFGE’s move, with only Minority Whip Dick Durbin signaling interest in discussing it at Tuesday’s caucus lunch.

Even Virginia Democrats Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, whose states are home to thousands of unpaid federal workers, doubled down on health-care messaging rather than showing signs of compromise.

“If we voted for the CR and Trump then fired a bunch of people next week – I know these guys very well. I know what they’d say: ‘Why did you agree to a deal?’” Kaine said, while Warner says that the shutdown “has been a real challenge,” but reiterated that Democrats are still focused on defending Affordable Care Act subsidies.

SNAP and the Search for a Workaround

While the larger stalemate drags on, lawmakers in both parties are exploring ways to prevent food-assistance programs from running dry.

Meanwhile, ever-grateful, often overweight SNAP recipients have major ‘tude right now and are taking matters into dey own hands. 

Counting the seconds until she loses her EBT. pic.twitter.com/7fa0Y64frH

— David Santa Carla 🦇 (@TheOnlyDSC) October 27, 2025

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) said she has written to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, urging the department to tap a $5 billion contingency fund to keep SNAP benefits flowing.

Or what? Oh.  

This TikTok creator shows off what she had just stole from a store, says, “I’m making some stuffed salmon today.”

“I don’t have food stamps anymore. They cut me off.” pic.twitter.com/SigIX4sOMb

— EBT of TikTok (@EBTofTikTok) October 28, 2025

This woman records herself dancing on camera while implying she will be using her oversized bag to steal if EBT gets cut. pic.twitter.com/Q3xGmc2rNa

— EBT of TikTok (@EBTofTikTok) October 28, 2025

This woman says that she’s gonna go buy a gun and “set this motherf*cker off” if EBT gets canceled. pic.twitter.com/6PllYkOrmA

— EBT of TikTok (@EBTofTikTok) October 28, 2025

Lovely.

Meanwhile USDA lawyers, and Speaker Mike Johnson, argue the administration lacks the legal authority to spend that money without new appropriations.

Tariffs & Farming Take Center Stage

Meanwhile, the Senate could vote as soon as Tuesday night on three Democratic resolutions to block President Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Brazil, along with his broader global tariff regime.

Four Republicans have already defected on the issue, suggesting the measures could pass with full attendance. GOP leaders are working to stem further defections, aware that each “yes” vote would signal diminishing confidence in Trump’s trade strategy.

Vice President JD Vance will attend Tuesday’s Senate GOP lunch to make the case for party unity. But resistance is already bubbling up.

“The farm industry is really suffering right now,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who is co-sponsoring the resolutions. “I’m hoping some of the farm-state senators will reconsider the issue.”

Among those being closely watched: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who’s not running for reelection and has publicly questioned Trump’s tariffs.

Others, like Thune and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), remain reluctant to break ranks – for now. “I just want the trade agreements concluded as quickly as possible,” Johnson told reporters. “I don’t see how undermining whatever Trump’s trying to do helps those negotiations get completed.”

And that’s the rest of the story… (RIP Paul Harvey) until further notice.