The US Supreme Court has issued an urgent ruling that temporarily allows the Trump administration to delay billions of dollars for nutrition assistance used by countless needy U.S. residents.
Administration officials sought relief from the country's highest court after a federal judge ordered that the SNAP program, also known as food aid, should be distributed completely to beneficiaries by Friday.
This assistance has been caught in uncertainty by the continuing budget impasse, with the government arguing it could only afford to partially fund it.
Friday's ruling means $4bn can be held back for now pending further legal hearings.
Programme Impact
The Snap programme is issued by tens of millions of U.S. citizens - around one in eight - and costs almost $9bn a each month.
Earlier this week, a federal magistrate, John McConnell, alleged the government of blocking nutrition funds "for political reasons" and said that without the assistance "millions of kids are in danger of going hungry".
The judge mandated the government to pay out the programme in full.
Court Proceedings
This decision followed another that ordered the government to use reserve money to at least partially fund the programme for November.
This court battle was triggered after the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Snap programme, announced benefits would be stopped in the fall due to the budget shortfall over the budget crisis.
Before the Supreme Court stepped in, the USDA said it was working to comply with the multiple rulings and was making efforts to doll out the complete amount.
High Court's Move
Supreme Court Justice Justice Jackson issued the order late Friday, known as an temporary halt, pausing the previous decision for 48 hours while government lawyer's pursue an appeal.
The row over nutrition program money has become among the most contentious of what is now the lengthiest budget standoff in American history.
Broader Impact
Federal employees have been without pay for over 30 days and flight operations has been thrown into chaos as Democratic and Republican lawmakers fail to agree a compromise to fund the government.
Several states have used their own financial reserves to keep Snap payments flowing, which are worth around six dollars to recipients via pre-loaded debit cards which can be redeemed in food markets.
But some states have said they are unable to replace the funding which has been lost from the U.S. treasury.
