WASHINGTON – It's not clear when millions of families will receive their November food aid benefits, even after two federal judges ruled last week that the Trump administration needs to make at least partial payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as the government shutdown continues .

The payments appeared set to stop at the beginning of November, as the shutdown has stretched into a new week. But federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled Oct. 31 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture needs to use $5.25 billion in contingency funds to make at least partial payments.

Both judges said the Trump administration has the option to use certain discretionary money to provide the benefits in full for November. They gave the administration a limited number of

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