A federal judge on Thursday (Nov 6) ordered US President Donald Trump's administration to fully fund food aid for 42 million low-income Americans in November by Friday, blocking its plan to only provide reduced benefits during the government shutdown.US District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, accused the administration of withholding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, known as SNAP or food stamps, for "political reasons" as he ordered the US Department of Agriculture to fund the program so people get 100 per cent of their benefits."The evidence shows that people will go hungry, food pantries will be overburdened, and needless suffering will occur," McConnell said during a virtual court hearing. "That's what irreparable harm here means."The Trump administration quickly moved to appeal McConnell's decision, leaving it unclear whether ultimately SNAP benefits would be paid out in full on Friday as the judge had ordered.The White House and USDA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A lawyer with the Justice Department during the hearing blamed states, which administer SNAP benefits, for the delays in distributing reduced benefits.SNAP benefits are paid out monthly to eligible Americans whose income is less than 130 per cent of the federal poverty line. States handle the day-to-day administration of the benefits. The maximum monthly benefit for the 2026 fiscal year had been set at US$298 for a one-person household and US$546 for a two-person household.The administration had originally planned to entirely suspend SNAP benefits in November, citing a lack of authorised funding from Congress as a result of the government shutdown, which is now in its 37th day.McConnell and another judge in Boston last week ruled the administration was required to at least tap US$5.25 billion in emergency funding to partially fund SNAP benefits, which cost US$8.5 billion to US$9 billion per month.McConnell on Saturday gave the Trump administration the option of either using the contingency funding once it resolved the "administrative and clerical burdens" involved in paying reduced benefits or tapping additional funding to fully pay out November's SNAP benefits.The USDA on Monday opted in light of his ruling to only use contingency funding, which, after subtracting US$600 million for the states' administrative costs in administering SNAP benefits, would leave US$4.65 billion to cover benefits.