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The US Supreme Court has issued an emergency order that temporarily allows the Trump administration to delay billions in funding for nutrition assistance used by countless needy U.S. residents.

Administration officials sought relief from the Supreme Court after a lower court ordered that the SNAP program, called food aid, should be distributed in full to recipients by Friday.

The programme has been caught in uncertainty by the continuing budget impasse, with the Trump administration arguing it could only afford to partially fund it.

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

SNAP's Reach

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

Earlier this week, a Rhode Island judge, the presiding judge, alleged the government of withholding food aid "due to political motives" and said that without the aid "millions of kids are in danger of facing hunger".

The judge mandated the administration to pay out the programme completely.

Legal Background

The Thursday ruling came after that required the administration to use contingency funds to at least partly pay for the programme for last month.

The legal saga was triggered after the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the food stamp program, announced benefits would be stopped in November due to the lack of funding over the shutdown.

Prior to the high court's action, the USDA said it was attempting to follow with the various court orders and was taking steps to doll out the full funds.

Supreme Court Action

High Court Judge Justice Jackson granted the stay late Friday, known as an administrative stay, pausing the lower court's ruling for 48 hours while government lawyer's seek to overturn it.

This dispute over nutrition program money 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 fail to agree a deal to fund the government.

Several states have used their own budget savings to keep food benefits going, which are worth around $6 to users via electronic benefit cards which can be redeemed in grocery stores.

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