Two federal judges ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump ’s administration must continue to pay for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ( SNAP ) using emergency reserve funds during the government shutdown .

However, it remains unclear exactly when SNAP recipients may receive benefits after the administration announced that it would freeze payments starting November 1.

Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture ( USDA ), which runs SNAP, for comment via an email sent outside regular business hours.

Why It Matters

SNAP, also known as the food stamp program, is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net.

It helps almost 42 million low- and no-income people across the U.S. buy groceries. Most are in households with children, older adults or

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