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America's top court has issued an emergency order that permits for now the federal government to withhold billions in funding for food benefits relied on by countless needy U.S. residents.

Administration officials appealed to the Supreme Court after a federal judge ordered that the SNAP program, also known as food aid, should be distributed completely to beneficiaries by the end of the week.

The programme has been left in limbo by the ongoing federal government shutdown, with the government arguing it could only pay for part of it.

The court's decision means $4bn can be temporarily withheld until more court proceedings.

Programme Impact

The Snap programme is issued by tens of millions of U.S. citizens - approximately 12% - and requires almost £6.9bn a each month.

Earlier this week, a federal magistrate, the presiding judge, accused the Trump administration of blocking nutrition funds "due to political motives" and said that without the assistance "millions of kids are immediately at risk of facing hunger".

The judge mandated the administration to fund the assistance in full.

Court Proceedings

This decision followed another that ordered the government to dip into reserve money to at least partly pay for the assistance for November.

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 lack of funding over the budget crisis.

Before the Supreme Court stepped in, the USDA said it was working to comply with the multiple rulings and was making efforts to distribute the full funds.

High Court's Move

High Court Judge Justice Jackson issued the order on Friday evening, known as an temporary halt, pausing the previous decision for two days while federal attorneys seek to overturn it.

This dispute over nutrition program money has become one of the bitterest of what is now the longest government shutdown in American history.

Wider Effects

Government workers have been without pay for more than a month and air travel has been thrown into chaos as Congress members cannot reach a deal to pass a budget.

Several states have used their own financial reserves to keep food benefits going, which are valued at around six dollars to users via electronic benefit cards which can be used in grocery stores.

But some states have said they are unable to replace the money which has been cut by the U.S. treasury.