BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge in Boston on Thursday challenged the Trump administration's argument that SNAP benefits could be suspended for the first time in the food aid program's history because of the government shutdown.

During a hearing over a request by 25 Democratic-led states to keep the funding rolling, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani told lawyers that if the government can't afford to cover the program, there's a process to follow rather than simply suspending all benefits. “The steps involve finding an equitable way of reducing benefits," said Talwani, who was nominated to the court by former President Barack Obama.

She said she expects to issue a ruling later Thursday.

The hearing came two days before the U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the S

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