A second federal judge in Boston on Friday told the Trump administration they are required to use emergency funding to keep Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, food benefits going despite pushback from Trump.
The decisions were made just minutes apart after a federal judge in Rhode Island said in an emergency hearing that the Trump administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture must release close to $6 billion amid the ongoing government shutdown, according to CNN. The Rhode Island judge said the funding must be distributed "in a timely fashion," and the administration must deliver an update by noon on Monday.
The close to $6 billion will not cover all the expenses for the program, it costs about $9 billion per month, and the judge said that the agency will have to agree to look to supplement additional funding so Americans relying on the program will get the funds.
Delays are still expected for SNAP recipients as states and the agency are distributing the funding.