Just one day before 77,000 Montanans were slated to lose food assistance, a federal court ordered the Trump administration to use emergency funds to keep the program afloat.

Judge John McConnell appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island by former President Barack Obama, said the White House must continue paying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the ongoing federal government shutdown.

The federally-funded program helps about 42 million low income earners nationwide afford groceries, but was set to run out on Saturday as the latest casualty of Congress’ failure to reach an agreement to reopen the government.

McConnell ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the agency that oversees the food program, to reach into a $5.2

See Full Page