A federal judge in Boston signaled Thursday that she may order the Trump administration to pay food assistance benefits to tens of millions of Americans who are at risk of not getting their November payments because of the government shutdown.

Why It Matters

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments are issued monthly to nearly 42 million low- and no-income Americans. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed these benefits will not be paid until the shutdown ends.

That decision has prompted legal action from state leaders over whether contingency funds—estimated to be between $5 billion and $6 billion—held by the USDA can be used to pay for food stamp benefits in the absence of regular appropriations. Leaders from 25 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C.,

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