The Highest Court Decides Full Snap Food Aid Can Be Temporarily Halted.

America's top court has granted an emergency order that temporarily allows the federal government to delay billions of dollars for nutrition assistance relied on by countless needy U.S. residents.

The White House sought relief from the Supreme Court after a federal judge ruled that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, should be paid out in full to beneficiaries by the end of the week.

This assistance has been caught in uncertainty by the continuing budget impasse, with the Trump administration arguing it could only afford to partially fund it.

Friday's ruling means £3.04bn can be temporarily withheld pending further legal hearings.

SNAP's Reach

The Snap programme is used by tens of millions of U.S. citizens - around one in eight - and requires almost £6.9bn a each month.

Earlier this week, a Rhode Island judge, the presiding judge, alleged the Trump administration of blocking nutrition funds "due to political motives" and said that without the aid "millions of kids are immediately at risk of going hungry".

He ordered the government to fund the assistance completely.

Court Proceedings

The Thursday ruling came after that required the administration to dip into reserve money to at least partially fund the assistance for last month.

The legal saga was triggered after the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the food stamp program, stated payments would be halted in November due to the budget shortfall over the shutdown.

Before the Supreme Court stepped in, the Agriculture Department said it was attempting to follow with the various court orders and was making efforts to doll out the complete amount.

High Court's Move

Supreme Court Justice Justice Jackson granted the stay on Friday evening, called an administrative stay, pausing the lower court's ruling for two days while government lawyer's seek to overturn it.

The row over food aid funding has become one of the bitterest of what is now the longest government shutdown in American history.

Wider Effects

Government workers have been unpaid for more than a month and air travel has been disrupted as Democratic and Republican lawmakers cannot reach a deal to fund the government.

Some states have used their own financial reserves to keep food benefits going, which are valued at around six dollars to recipients via electronic benefit cards which can be used in grocery stores.

However, certain states have said they are unable to replace the money which has been lost from the U.S. treasury.