The head of the Associated General Contractors of New York State called on lawmakers Friday to pass the Trump-backed bill to reopen the government – warning the longer the shutdown continues, critical infrastructure projects face a “risk of disruption.” 

“The ongoing federal government shutdown poses real and immediate risks to the construction industry here in New York and across the nation. Critical federal personnel responsible for approving change orders, processing reimbursements, conducting project inspections, and awarding new contracts are among those affected by furloughs,” Mike Elmendorf, the president and CEO of Associated General Contractors of New York State (AGC NYS), said in a statement provided to The Post. 

“The longer the shutdown continues, the greater the risk of disruption to vital infrastructure and public works projects — and the more construction jobs and local economies will be negatively impacted,” Elmendorf continued. 

“We urge Congress to act responsibly and swiftly pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the federal government,” the labor leader added. “New York’s contractors, construction workers, and the communities that depend on these projects are counting on Washington to do its job — so we can continue doing ours: rebuilding and improving the infrastructure that keeps our state and nation moving.”

AGC NYS demand follows several other labor unions calling on Congress this week to pass a clean continuing resolution, including Steamfitters Local 638 New York and the American Federation of Government Employees. 

A federal judge ruled the Trump administration’s suspension of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans was likely unlawful.

The USDA must report by Monday if emergency funds can be used for reduced or full benefits. This follows a lawsuit from 25 Democratic-run states and DC, challenging the administration’s claim of depleted funds due to the government shutdown.

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President Trump said Friday that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized to him for an ad produced by the province of Ontario that spotlighted Ronald Reagan's opposition to tariffs — after Trump broke off trade talks with Canada in protest of the commercial.

"He was very nice. He apologized for what they did with the commercial because it was a false commercial. You know, it was the exact opposite, Ronald Reagan loved tariffs," Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he flew to his Mar-a-Lago resort for the weekend.

Asked if he would resume trade negotiations with Carney, Trump said, "No, but I have a very good relationship. I like him a lot."

Trump and Carney dined together Wednesday in South Korea alongside other national leaders gathered for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference — after the president broke off talks last Thursday.

The ad that outraged Trump was produced by Ontario's Conservative-led government and not by Carney's Liberal administration.

It aired a clip of Reagan saying: "When someone says, 'Let's impose tariffs on foreign imports,' it looks like they're doing the patriotic thing by protecting Americans products and jobs. And sometimes for a short time it works, but only for a short time. But over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer.

"High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars, then the worst happens, markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industries shut down and millions of people lose their jobs," Reagan says in the audio.

"The way to prosperity for all nations is rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition."

The US is prepared to launch strikes on Venezuelan military bases as President Trump ramps up the pressure on the country’s narcoterrorist dictator, Nicolas Maduro, as the administration works to cut off the regime’s drug and criminal operations, The Post has learned.

The operation — which could happen within days or even hours — aims to dismantle Maduro’s Cartel de los Soles command structure and target military installations that protect the Maduro regime’s drug trafficking activities, a source close to the White House told The Post.

US officials have accused Cartel de los Soles of trafficking roughly 500 tons of cocaine to the US and Europe annually, working alongside gangs like Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and other criminal syndicates.

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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins suggested elsewhere in the press conference that the increase in spending on SNAP under the Biden administration had made the benefits program "bloated" and vulnerable to tens of millions engaging in fraudulent activity.

"I guess the silver lining in all of this is that we're having a national conversation on our SNAP program, that this has sort of shined a light on a program that, especially under the last administration, has just become so bloated, so broken, so dysfunctional, so corrupt, that it is astonishing when you dig in," Rollins said.

"The money that was going out was zero-accountability," she went on, noting that the USDA "sent a letter to all the states saying no more illegal aliens on SNAP."

"Just in the last six months, we've had major dozens of arrests, people going to jail, fraudulent activity of 50 million here," she added. "One guy's registered for SNAP in six different states. I mean, it's one thing after another."

Mike Johnson told a reporter who asked about Trump's post on nuking the filibuster that it was just an "expression of the president's anger."

"He is as angry as I am and the American people are about this madness," the House speaker said. "And he just desperately wants the government to be reopened so that all these, these resources can flow to the people who need it so much.

"I'll just say this in general, as I've said many times about the filibuster, it's not my call. I don't have a say in this. It's a Senate chamber issue," he added.

"But the filibuster has traditionally been viewed as a very important safeguard. If the shoe is on the other foot, I don't think our team would like it. The Democrats, look, they've said what they would do. They would pack the Supreme Court, they would make Puerto Rico and DC states, they would ban firearms."

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Rollins and Johnson also slammed Democrats for leveraging SNAP — and explained why their party's been leveling false accusations that the Trump administration is refusing to tap a contingency fund to cover the benefits.

"The fact that the Democrats are saying, 'But wait, USDA has money in their accounts,'" Rollins said, "I've seen it over and over and over from some of their leaders is absolute false. And it is a lie.

"There is a contingency fund at USDA, but that contingency fund, by the way, doesn't even cover, I think half of the $9.2 billion that would be required for November SNAP," she went on. "It is only allowed to flow if the underlying program is funded.

"Hurricane Melissa or one of the hurricanes hits, that's the contingency fund that we would use to send more money into the vulnerable communities that are harmed by a specific event, like a hurricane — but it is a contingency fund that can only flow if the underlying appropriation is approved," Rollins added.

Johnson also said: "I would just add to that the Democrats are lying about that, and I think they know that some of the ones who are out saying it are actually attorneys. They can read the black-letter law themselves.

"They did file a lawsuit ... because they wanted a talking point," the House speaker added. "They know that's a frivolous piece of litigation. They know they're going to lose, but they also know it'll take many weeks or months to have that ultimately determined by a court."

New York was one of several Democrat-run states to join on that lawsuit, though Governor Kathy Hochul also declared a state of emergency to tap other funding for food pantries.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins joined Johnson at the press conference and expressed gratitude for the "hundreds of thousands" of federal workers who have been carrying out their duties without a paycheck.

"Just thanking so many thousands of federal workers who are showing up, who are still doing their job, who aren't getting paid, those that are now concerned about putting food on the table and making their mortgages and paying their rent," Rollins said.

"The idea that the Democrats have now for 14 different votes voted to keep the government closed is absolutely unconscionable," she added.

"Every day they hold the federal government hostage, they are leaving millions of families livelihoods and critical benefits, including SNAP hanging in the balance. Of course, we all know the 13,000 air traffic controllers working without pay, many turning to Uber, taking second jobs in restaurants, etc. as the shutdown continues."

Johnson went on to call out several Democrats for flip-flopping in their rhetoric on government shutdowns and embracing their efforts to keep it closed for political "leverage."

The House speaker read off statements from Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) during the 2013 shutdown forced be congressional Republicans under former President Barack Obama.

"Our democracy cannot function if the majority party threatens to shut down the government unless it gets its way," Coons said at the time.

Whitehouse called the GOP-led shutdown effort "entirely unnecessary" and pointed out it "harmed our economy and our reputation in the world." The Rhode Island Democrat slammed the effort as an "extremist hostage-taking." at the time.

Johnson also noted that socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) amid the 2018-2019 shutdown during President Trump's first term said, "The truth is that shutting down the government is a serious and dangerous action that we must do everything possible to prevent."

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Friday the nearly monthlong government shutdown has reached "a breaking point," as federal funds for food stamps will run out Saturday.

"Thanks to Democrats voting 'no' on government funding, now 14 different times, SNAP benefits for millions of American families are drying up," Johnson told reporters at a press conference on Capitol Hill.

"It's about one in eight people in this country who rely on this to literally put food on their table," he added.

A planned terrorist attack was thwarted early Friday as the feds busted “multiple” people plotting a real-life horror for Halloween, FBI director Kash Patel announced.

“This morning the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend,” Patel posted on X.

No details about the suspects or their plan have been released.

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President Trump has urged Republicans to use the “nuclear option” to change Senate rules, allowing a simple majority vote to end the 30-day government shutdown. He argued Democrats are “crazed lunatics” and this move would help Republicans pass key legislation.

“It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!” the president wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post. 

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