WASHINGTON — On Monday, the Trump administration sought intervention from the Supreme Court to maintain a partial freeze on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) disbursements, as the federal government shutdown stretched into its 41st day.

SNAP is vital for providing food assistance to 42 million Americans, with the program’s monthly cost to the government totaling approximately $8 billion.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had earlier announced plans to issue about half of the usual November benefit by drawing from a contingency fund exceeding $4 billion.

However, U.S. District Judge John McConnell mandated that the USDA ensure full funding of SNAP benefits during the shutdown, opposing the distribution of only partial amounts. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld McConnell’s directive on Sunday night.

The appeals court ruling had no immediate effect, however, as Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson had also already issued a temporary 48-hour hold on the order. 

As a result, the USDA warned states on Saturday to reverse any actions to distribute full benefits or risk financial penalties.

States administering SNAP payments now continue to face uncertainty over whether they can — and should — provide full monthly benefits during the ongoing legal battles.

Once payments formally resume, it could still take some time for the funds to reach recipients. 

Some states are warning of “catastrophic operational disruptions” if the Trump administration does not reimburse them for those SNAP benefits they already authorized. Meanwhile, other states are providing partial monthly SNAP benefits with federal money or using their own funds to load electronic benefit cards for SNAP recipients.

States typically send enrollee data to vendors days or weeks before the new month so funds can be loaded onto EBT cards. 

Processing time “will take anywhere from a few weeks to up to several months,” USDA official Patrick Penn said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.