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On Politics

Thu Nov 6 2025

Kathryn Palmer | Politics Reporter

@KathrynPlmr

Hello readers. Welcome to Thursday's edition of On Politics. I'm Kathryn Palmer. Elections may be over, but there are plenty of shakeups on the horizon. Notably, a political legend − known especially well to Northern California natives like myself − is on her way out. Here's the news.

A political giant and California mainstay is exiting Congress

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a leading figure in the Democratic Party for more than three decades and the first woman to serve as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, announced her 2026 retirement today, ending months of speculation about her future.

She announced her decision in a video showcasing cinematic images of San Francisco, the iconic California city she has represented for more than 38 years. Her leadership spanned the AIDS epidemic of the 80s and 90s, which hit her adopted hometown especially hard, the legalization of same-sex marriage, the Bay Area city's tech boom and the region's recent housing and cost-of-living crises.

Pelosi, 85, steered Democratic policy and strategy for years in the House, leading through multiple administrations, making her one of the most recognizable and consequential legislators in modern American politics.

Her time in Congress will end next year, opening up her powerful seat to new Democratic figures in the state, and ushering in a new era for party leadership.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) rips up President Donald Trump's speech following his State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2020.

Joshua Roberts, Reuters

A politics pit stop:

•	California's redistricting measure passed, and the jockeying for 2026 midterm races in newly redrawn districts has already begun
•	Hamas returned the remains of New York City native Itay Chen, the last deceased U.S. hostage whose remains were being held in Gaza
•	Democrats tapped into growing anxiety over Trump's economic policies, signaling a possible midterm strategy
•	Trump's tariffs are still before the Supreme Court, facing tough questions from judges – a look at what's next

Buckle up, air travel is about to get even messier

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced in a news conference yesterday that there would be a 10% reduction in flights at 40 major airports due to the impacts of the ongoing federal government shutdown on the FAA.

The cutbacks are expected to start tomorrow morning, less than three weeks before Thanksgiving, which has sent airlines scrambling to rework schedules and field a flood of questions from consumers. Duffy said he expects the reductions will cause more flight cancellations, and said his agency will work with the airlines to make the scale-downs in a "systematic way."

The government shutdown has forced about 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners to work without pay.

After weeks of saying otherwise, USDA says it can provide more food aid

SNAP recipients, who have been in the lurch over shutdown-related cuts to the food aid program, will receive at most 65% of benefits in November, according to the USDA. That's a jump from the 50% the U.S. Department of Agriculture previously said it could cover.

That comes out to $646 for a family of four, and $193 for a single person for the entire month of November, the department said.

The increase in aid comes after the USDA was ordered by federal judges Oct. 31 to use its contingency fund to help keep the benefits rolling − something the department had insisted it couldn't legally do because of the shutdown.

Questions, thoughts, concerns? Email me at kapalmer@usatoday.com.