In a significant development late Sunday, a federal appeals court upheld a ruling that mandates the Trump administration to fully fund food assistance for 42 million low-income Americans amid the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.

The First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Boston, chose not to overturn a Rhode Island judge’s ruling from Thursday. This decision requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allocate $4 billion, originally set aside for other purposes, to ensure the distribution of complete Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

However, the 1st Circuit’s ruling has yet to take immediate effect, as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson temporarily paused the lower court’s order issued by U.S. District Judge John McConnell on Friday.

Justice Jackson’s temporary hold will remain effective for 48 hours following the appeals court’s decision.

The ongoing legal proceedings, combined with prior court decisions and statements from the administration and several states involved, have left the future of the nation’s anti-hunger food aid program uncertain during the shutdown.

On Saturday, USDA directed states to “undo” any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, before Jackson’s order or risk financial penalties.

The administration had argued to the 1st Circuit that judges have no power to appropriate or spend federal money, and McConnell could not force the USDA to find money beyond a contingency fund in the “metaphorical couch cushions” to pay for full SNAP benefits.

It blamed Congress for the crisis and said it was up to lawmakers to solve it by ending the shutdown.

The Senate on Sunday moved forward on a measure aimed at reopening the federal government, which on Monday reached its 41st day.