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The US Supreme Court has issued an urgent ruling that permits for now the federal government to delay billions of dollars for nutrition assistance relied on by countless needy U.S. residents.

The White House appealed to the Supreme Court after a federal judge ruled that the SNAP program, called food stamps, should be distributed in full to recipients by Friday.

This assistance has been caught in uncertainty by the ongoing federal government shutdown, with the Trump administration arguing it could only pay for part of it.

Friday's ruling means $4bn can be held back for now until more court proceedings.

Programme Impact

This nutrition aid is issued by tens of millions of U.S. citizens - approximately 12% - and costs almost $9bn a each month.

Earlier this week, a federal magistrate, John McConnell, accused the government of blocking nutrition funds "due to political motives" and said that without the assistance "16 million children are immediately at risk of going hungry".

He ordered the administration to pay out the programme in full.

Court Proceedings

This decision came after that ordered the administration to use contingency funds to at least partially fund the programme for last month.

This court battle was triggered after the US Department of Agriculture, which manages the Snap programme, stated benefits would be halted in the fall due to the budget shortfall over the shutdown.

Before the Supreme Court stepped in, the USDA said it was attempting to follow with the multiple rulings and was making efforts to doll out the full funds.

Supreme Court Action

Supreme Court Justice Justice Jackson granted the stay late Friday, called an temporary halt, pausing the previous decision for two days while federal attorneys pursue an appeal.

This dispute over food aid funding has become among the most contentious of what is now the longest government shutdown in American history.

Wider Effects

Federal employees have been unpaid for more than a month and flight operations has been disrupted as Congress members cannot reach a deal to pass a budget.

Some states have drawn on their own financial reserves to keep food benefits flowing, which are valued at around six dollars to users via pre-loaded debit cards which can be used in food markets.

However, certain states have said they are unable to replace the money which has been cut by the U.S. treasury.