The Trump administration has ordered states to stop distributing benefits to 42 million food insecure Americans, including critical nutrition and aid to the Women, Infants and Children program.

The federal judge ruled that Trump was choosing to withhold federal food aid due to "political reasons".

The Trump administration asked a federal appeals court for an emergency block on a judge’s order that it pay 42 million Americans full SNAP benefits for November by Friday.

U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. had given Trump’s administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The Trump administration told states to make benefits available even as it asked the Supreme Court to let it block the benefits.

Funding for Snap, also known as food stamps, has been at the centre of the US government shutdown as it has entered its 38th day.

Forty-two million face food aid delays after the nation's top Court lets US president pause full SNAP payments.

The Trump administration has resisted continuing the SNAP program, which provides food stamps to 42 million Americans, during the government shutdown.

The move is the Trump administration's latest chaotic attempt to withhold SNAP benefits from 42 million Americans during the ongoing government shutdown.

The food assistance programme has been caught in a back-and-forth legal battle over funding as the government shutdown drags on.

The Trump administration has ordered states to stop distributing benefits to 42 million food insecure Americans, including critical nutrition and aid to the Women, Infants and…

Directive comes after supreme court order allowing Trump officials to pause food aid payments amid shutdown

The government shutdown appears to be coming to an end. But the Supreme Court has left the Trump administration's freeze on food benefits in place through Thursday.