It’s up to the US Supreme Court and Congress to decide when full payments will resume under the SNAP food aid program that helps 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries as the financial pressures mount on families in some states. The Supreme Court is expected to rule Tuesday on a request from President Donald Trump’s administration to keep blocking states from providing full benefits, arguing the money might be needed elsewhere.

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

The question of whether the Trump administration can be compelled to pay 42 million Americans full food stamp benefits is set to return to the Supreme Court.