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The US Supreme Court has issued an emergency order that temporarily allows the federal government to delay billions of dollars for food benefits used by countless needy U.S. residents.

Administration officials sought relief from the country's highest court after a lower court ruled that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food aid, should be paid out completely to beneficiaries by the end of the week.

This assistance has been left in limbo by the ongoing federal government shutdown, with the Trump administration claiming it could only pay for part of it.

Friday's ruling means $4bn can be held back for now pending further legal hearings.

SNAP's Reach

The Snap programme is issued by 42 million Americans - approximately 12% - and costs almost $9bn a each month.

On Thursday, a Rhode Island judge, the presiding judge, accused the Trump administration of withholding food aid "for political reasons" and said that without the assistance "16 million children are immediately at risk of facing hunger".

The judge mandated the government to fund the programme in full.

Legal Background

The Thursday ruling came after that required the government to use contingency funds to at least partially fund the programme for last month.

This court battle was triggered after the USDA, which manages the Snap programme, announced payments would be halted in November due to the lack of funding over the shutdown.

Before the Supreme Court stepped in, the USDA said it was working to comply with the various court orders and was taking steps to distribute the complete amount.

Supreme Court Action

High Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson issued the order on Friday evening, known as an administrative stay, effectively freezing the lower court's ruling 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 lengthiest budget standoff in US history.

Broader Impact

Federal employees have been unpaid for over 30 days and flight operations has been thrown into chaos as Democratic and Republican lawmakers cannot reach a compromise to fund the government.

Some states have used their own financial reserves to keep food benefits flowing, which are worth around $6 to users via pre-loaded debit cards which can be used in food markets.

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