Millions have been left wondering when they'll receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program after federal judges' rulings ordered that contingency funds be used to support it.

SNAP benefits were to be paused on Nov. 1 due to the government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture posted on its website, saying the "well has run dry." The message continues to be displayed on the USDA website.

But rulings by judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Oct. 31 ordered the department to use $5.25 billion in contingency funds to continue SNAP, a program that 42 million Americans rely on. The judges gave the Trump administration a limited number of days to provide an update.

"There is no doubt and it is beyond argument that irreparable harm will begin to occur if

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