The high court extended through Thursday a stay on a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to pay full food stamp benefits this month.
The Supreme Court extended through Thursday its order allowing the Trump administration to withhold full food stamp benefits as lawmakers inch closer to ending the record-setting government shutdown.
The move comes after the administration raced to the high court for relief from a lower court order that would have required the Agriculture Department to pay for the entirety of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program instead of just the partial November benefits officials are in the process of doling out. On Monday, Justice Department attorneys renewed their request for an administrative stay.
With the House expected to vote on a funding deal Wednesday, this latest order makes it likely the Supreme Court will never have to rule on the issue. The reopening of the government would restore SNAP to its original funding level.
The program, which serves nearly 42 million Americans, ran out of funding Nov. 1, causing food banks and pantries to struggle to keep up with increased need.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson previously halted the payment of full benefits while the case made its way through the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals.
According to Tuesday’s order, the administration’s emergency appeal was referred from Jackson to the full court, which extended the length of the stay. Jackson, a Biden appointee, indicated she would have denied the request for an extension.