ISTANBUL

The Trump administration announced Monday that it will release emergency funds to cover half of November's food assistance benefits, following court orders to prevent food insecurity for approximately 42 million Americans during the ongoing government shutdown, The Washington Post reported.

The Agriculture Department will use $4.65 billion in emergency reserves for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, according to Patrick Penn, deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services.

The funds will cover 50% of each eligible household's current allocation, Penn said.

On Friday, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the administration to release reserve funds shortly after another federal judge in Massachusetts directed the government to decide by Monday whether to use emergency food assistance funds.

The department said Monday the agency would comply with the Rhode Island judge's order and fulfill its obligation to spend SNAP emergency funds.

Impact of government shutdown

The federal government shutdown, now into its second month, has affected food assistance programs as Congress has not appropriated new funds.

Lawmakers in Washington remain at an impasse over government funding. The Republican-led spending bill has been repeatedly rejected in the Senate, while Democrats are demanding extensions of health insurance tax credits and the reversal of recent Medicaid cuts in exchange for reopening the government.

The Trump administration previously said it would not use SNAP emergency funds because it wanted to preserve money for natural disasters and other emergencies, also claiming it did not have authorization to spend the funds.

Penn said the use of funds for food stamps has left no funding for new SNAP applicants and areas of use such as disaster assistance.