The Highest Court Decides Complete Snap Food Aid Can Be Put on Hold.
America's top court has issued an emergency order that permits for now the Trump administration to withhold billions in funding for food benefits used by millions of low-income Americans.
The White House sought relief from the Supreme Court after a federal judge ordered that the SNAP program, called food stamps, should be paid out in full to recipients by the end of the week.
The programme has been left in limbo by the ongoing federal government shutdown, with the government arguing it could only pay for part of it.
Friday's ruling means $4bn can be held back for now pending further legal hearings.
SNAP's Reach
This nutrition aid is used by tens of millions of U.S. citizens - approximately 12% - and requires almost £6.9bn a month.
On Thursday, a federal magistrate, John McConnell, alleged the government of blocking nutrition funds "due to political motives" and said that without the aid "millions of kids are immediately at risk of facing hunger".
The judge mandated the government to pay out the assistance completely.
Legal Background
The Thursday ruling came after that required the government to dip into reserve money to at least partly pay for the assistance for November.
The legal saga was triggered after the US Department of Agriculture, which manages the food stamp program, announced payments would be halted in the fall due to the lack of funding over the budget crisis.
Before the Supreme Court stepped in, the Agriculture Department said it was attempting to follow with the multiple rulings and was taking steps to doll out the complete amount.
High Court's Move
High Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson granted the stay late Friday, known as an administrative stay, pausing the previous decision for two days while government lawyer's seek to overturn it.
The row over nutrition program money has become one of the bitterest of what is now the lengthiest budget standoff in American history.
Broader Impact
Federal employees have been unpaid for more than a month and air travel has been disrupted as Congress members cannot reach a deal to fund the government.
Some states have used their own budget savings to keep Snap payments going, which are worth around six dollars to recipients via electronic benefit cards which can be used in food markets.
However, certain states have said they are cannot cover the money which has been lost from the federal government.
