The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday allowed U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to withhold for now about $4 billion US needed to fully fund a food aid program for 42 million low-income Americans this month amid the federal government shutdown.
The court's action, known as an administrative stay, gives a lower court additional time to consider the administration's formal request to only partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, for November.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who issued the stay, set it to expire in two days.
McConnell last week ordered the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use emergency SNAP funding to cover part of this month's cost.
McConnell, an appointee of Democratic president Barack Obama, accused the Republican Trump administration of withholding SNAP benefits for "political reasons.".
"The court should deny Defendants' motion and not allow them to further delay getting vital food assistance to individuals and families who need it now," the lawyers wrote.
The 1st Circuit on Friday denied the Trump administration's request to pause McConnell's ruling, prompting the Justice Department's emergency request to the Supreme Court. »