Judges Order SNAP Benefits Must Continue: What It Means For MI

A day before 1.4 million Michiganders were poised to lose food benefits amid the ongoing government shutdown, two federal judges on Friday ordered that the Trump administration must pull from contingency funds to keep SNAP running amid the government shutdown, the Associated Press is reporting.

The rulings came a day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments during the ongoing government shutdown.

The judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island said the administration can determine on whether to fund the program partially or in full for November, AP reports.

It wasn't immediately clear how quickly the debit cards beneficiaries use to buy groceries can be reloaded after the ruling, a process that often takes one to two weeks.

In preparation of a potential stoppage in SNAP benefits and payments, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday announced $4.5 million in state funding for emergency food assistance.

The ruling also came just after Michigan and 25 other states claimed the Trump administration is unlawfully suspending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the ongoing government shutdown.

"Providing food assistance to residents in need is not just a moral issue, it’s also a legal one," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. "I am grateful that the Court has agreed that the USDA is obligated to spend available funding to support food assistance and prevent Americans from going hungry."

This is a developing story.