The Central Texas Food Bank serves 21 counties in the state, and CEO Sari Vatske told CBS News' Omar Villafranca that they've gone from spending $1.3 million monthly to $1 million weekly on food as the government shutdown drags on.

Texas

The ongoing U.S. government shutdown, now the longest in history, has led to a surge in demand at food banks across Texas. The Central Texas Food Bank reports that it is now spending $1 million each week to provide food assistance, a significant increase from previous months.

Mobile food pantries are serving double the expected number of people, including military veterans, and some locations have had to turn people away due to overwhelming need. The food bank is distributing both fresh produce and traditional holiday items like Thanksgiving turkeys to help families who might otherwise go without a holiday meal.

Texas Food Banks spending $1 Mn per week to keep up with shutdown

Welcome back. It is day 36 of the government shutdown, marking the longest shutdown in U. S. History. Senators failed for the 14th time to advance the House passed funding the bill just yesterday. No new Democrats crossed the aisle to vote in favor of the bill. Meanwhile, Republican senators met with President Trump at the White House this morning to discuss ways to move forward. It comes as lawmakers from both parties hint that a deal could be worked out by the end of this week, but the president put pressure on members of his party to get the bill signed quicker. Listen to his message to Republicans. It's time for Republicans to do what they have to do, and that's terminate the filibuster. It's the only way you can do it. And if you don't terminate the filibuster, you'll be in bad shape. We won't pass any legislation knowing that they're going to pass it as soon as they get any semblance of control. They'll pass the first thing. Then it's like we have to do it first, and we have two years, and we'll end up with 2-3 years, and we'll have this country so perfect. We will pass more legislation than any Congress and any group of senators or a group of congressmen. And as the shutdown drags on, so does the need for basic necessities for many Americans. Food banks across the country feel the strain as they work to support people affected by cuts to SNAP benefits. The Central Texas Food Bank says it's seen a significant rise in people who need food assistance. CBS News correspondent Omar Villafranca is live in Waco, Texas. Omar, thank you for joining us today. How is the food bank out there responding? Well, the food bank is responding by going out into the community. Now, where I am right now, this is part of a mobile food pantry. We're gonna step this way, try not to get run over here. But they are servicing U. S. Military veterans at this particular location. They stop. They start loading up food, around 60 pounds of food in various spots here. They roll up to another one. But this line is a little bit deceptive. Let me show you over here. These cars will turn around and be part of this line. They were expecting 100, but now they're expecting 200. And there are people with the Central Texas Food Bank are telling me everywhere they go, their numbers are double. Yesterday they had a mobile pantry. They were expecting 300. They had 600. They had to turn people away at another location. They brought £20,000 of food, and they said, Let's bump it up to 30,000. They were out another location. They had 1000 people show up when they were just expecting 500. The need is there. They were at one point spending $1.3 million a month. Now the CEO tells me they're spending a million dollars a week on food for their 21 county area. And Omar, I assume people can't just show up. So how do they sign up to receive food? Here is the secret. They can't. This is just for military veterans. But people can show up. They come up. They're not going to turn people away who are hungry, but they will advertise on certain areas and put it on a calendar. But at another food bank that we went to, if they weren't part of that group, they're not going to say no. These people are in for a treat because they're getting Thanksgiving turkeys here. And I talked to one woman in line who said if it wasn't for this Thanksgiving turkey, they wouldn't be going to freeze it. But if it wasn't for this Thanksgiving turkey, she probably would not have had a turkey for Thanksgiving. They're also giving a lot of fresh fruit. Now when I kind of want to show you people are used to the canned goods, and I want to do this quick for you guys, and I want to eat up all your time. But they also have a lot of fresh produce, which a lot of the people want. So you have greens here, you have potatoes, you have squash, you have tomatoes. These are things that they purchased. Now, are they perishable? Yes, but these are the healthier choices for people when they come to these food pantries. Yes, they have the cans. Uh, you're gonna have canned corn and canned yams, uh, you know, and peas and stuff like that for for Thanksgiving. But if it wasn't for this meal, some of these folks told me they would not have a Thanksgiving meal. Wow. And it's so important to remember Thanksgiving is just around the corner. So this work is so important. Omar Vera Franca. Thank you so much.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to oppose any attempt to establish a Palestinian state, a day before the UN Security Council will vote on a U.S.-drafted resolution on Gaza that leaves the door open to Palestinian independence.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Middle East Conflict

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A Bangladesh court sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death for crimes against humanity on Monday (November 17), concluding a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.

Dhaka

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Washington

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Charlotte

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Santiago

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Caracas

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Flash flood warnings expanded on Saturday as rain hit wide swaths of California amid fears that the atmospheric river will intensify. Andres Gutierrez has the latest details.

Pacific Palisades

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Large-scale protests at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, have drawn attention to environmental concerns and the preservation of the Amazon rainforest. Inside the summit, negotiations have been complicated by the absence of the United States.

Belém

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Thousands join protest at COP30 climate talks in Brazil

Air travel and other government services, including SNAP benefits, are returning to normal following the end of the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

Los Angeles International Airport

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The U.S. has approved the sale of $330 million worth of weapons to Taiwan as tensions rise in the region with China. CBS News' Nancy Cordes reports.

Taipei City

U.S. approves massive sale of weapons to Taiwan

Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket on Thursday with NASA twin spacecraft destined for Mars aboard, and in a breakthrough nailed the landing of its booster.

Cape Canaveral

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Rise of AI

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Beijing

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Berlin

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Chicago

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Breakdown