The Highest Court Decides Complete Snap Food Aid Can Be Paused for Now.

The US Supreme Court has issued an emergency order that permits for now the Trump administration to delay billions in funding for nutrition assistance used by countless needy U.S. residents.

The White House appealed to the Supreme Court after a federal judge ordered that the SNAP program, also known as food stamps, should be distributed completely to beneficiaries by the end of the week.

This assistance has been caught in uncertainty by the continuing budget impasse, with the Trump administration arguing it could only pay for part of it.

Friday's ruling means $4bn can be held back for now until more court proceedings.

SNAP's Reach

This nutrition aid is issued by 42 million Americans - approximately 12% - and costs almost $9bn a each month.

On Thursday, a Rhode Island judge, John McConnell, alleged the government of blocking nutrition funds "for political reasons" and said that without the aid "16 million children are immediately at risk of facing hunger".

The judge mandated the government to pay out the programme completely.

Legal Background

This decision followed another that ordered the administration to dip into contingency funds to at least partially fund the programme for last month.

This court battle was triggered after the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Snap programme, stated benefits would be stopped in the fall due to the budget shortfall over the budget crisis.

Prior to the high court's action, the Agriculture Department said it was attempting to follow with the multiple rulings and was making efforts to doll out the complete amount.

Supreme Court Action

High Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson granted the order on Friday evening, called an administrative stay, effectively freezing the lower court's ruling for two days while government lawyer's pursue an appeal.

The row over food aid funding has become one of the bitterest of what is now the longest government shutdown in US history.

Broader Impact

Federal employees have been without pay for over 30 days and flight operations has been disrupted as Democratic and Republican lawmakers fail to agree a compromise to pass a budget.

Some states have used their own budget savings to keep food benefits going, which are valued at around six dollars to recipients via electronic benefit cards which can be redeemed in grocery stores.

But some states have said they are unable to replace the funding which has been lost from the federal government.