Judge orders White House to pay full SNAP benefits by Friday

A federal judge rebuked the Trump administration Thursday afternoon, ordering it to pay full SNAP benefits by Friday, according to multiple reports.

Why it matters: Roughly 42 million Americans rely on these food benefits to pay for groceries each month, but the White House argued it can't pay them in full because of the shutdown.

The latest: Justice Department attorneys filed a notice of appeal on Thursday evening challenging U.S. District CourtJudge John McConnell's ruling.

What they're saying: "People have gone without for too long," Connell said from the bench Thursday, CNN reports. • "Not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable," the Obama-appointed Rhode Island-based judge said. • "This should never happen in America," added McConnell, according to