US Supreme Court Lets Trump Continue Blocking $4bn in Food Aid Amid Shutdown

The US Supreme Court has handed President Donald Trump a temporary win in his ongoing budget battle, extending an order that allows his administration to withhold about $4bn in food assistance from tens of millions of Americans during the historic government shutdown.

In a ruling on Tuesday, the justices extended a previous stay that paused a lower court’s order requiring the federal government to distribute November’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, a move that critics say could have devastating consequences for low-income families.

Advocates have warned that the freeze could push millions to the brink of hunger.

“We’re talking about children, seniors, and working families who rely on this program to eat,” one food policy analyst told reporters.

The decision comes as the Senate on Monday finally approved a bipartisan deal to end what has become the longest government shutdown in US history, bringing a fragile sense of relief after weeks of disruption. The standoff left hundreds of thousands of federal employees unpaid, delayed critical services, and snarled air traffic due to staff shortages.

Still, the fight over SNAP underscores the Trump administration’s broader push to shrink welfare programs and cut federal spending, even as the political costs mount. The White House has long targeted food aid as a symbol of what Trump calls “bloated government dependency.”

While program disruptions are not uncommon during shutdowns, this marks the first time in SNAP’s 60-year history that benefits were halted entirely. The administration’s refusal to pay sparked a string of lawsuits and conflicting rulings, leaving families uncertain whether their benefits would resume.

A lower court had ruled last week that the government must immediately release the funds, but Trump’s Justice Department appealed, arguing that the shutdown left no legal basis to do so. The Supreme Court had already issued a short-term pause, and Tuesday’s decision extended it further, meaning the food aid freeze remains in place until at least Thursday, when the stay was set to expire.