Federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island rule that the administration must fund food aid for millions of Americans despite government shutdown.
Two federal Judges have ruled nearly simultaneously that President Donald Trump's administration must continue to pay for SNAP, the nation's largest food aid programme, using emergency reserve funds during the government shutdown.
The judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Friday gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the programme partially or in full for November, creating uncertainty about when many beneficiaries' payments will resume.
SNAP cards are normally recharged early in the month.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) had planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme starting on 1 November, saying it could no longer fund it due to the shutdown.
The programme serves about one in eight Americans and costs roughly $8 billion per month nationally.
US Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said the rulings confirmed that "the administration is choosing not to feed Americans in need, despite knowing that it is legally required to do so."