The Brief

More than a month into the government shutdown, millions of Americans are uncertain this week when they will receive their federal food assistance again.

Last week, two federal judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ruled separately ordering the Trump administration to use emergency funds to continue funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, during the shutdown. But, days later, it’s still unclear how that money would come about – and when the debit cards that recipients use would be reloaded.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting Nov. 1 because the agency said it could no longer keep funding it due to the shutdown.

Additionally, the USDA has a $5 billion contingency

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