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America's top court has granted an emergency order that permits for now the Trump administration to withhold billions of dollars for nutrition assistance used by millions of low-income Americans.

The White House appealed to the country's highest court after a lower court ruled that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, called food aid, should be paid out completely to recipients by Friday.

The programme has been caught in uncertainty by the continuing budget impasse, with the government claiming it could only pay for part of it.

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

SNAP's Reach

This nutrition aid is used by tens of millions of U.S. citizens - approximately 12% - and requires almost $9bn a 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 aid "millions of kids are in danger of going hungry".

The judge mandated the administration to fund the assistance completely.

Court Proceedings

The Thursday ruling followed another that ordered the administration to dip into contingency funds to at least partially fund the programme for November.

This court battle was triggered after the USDA, which manages the food stamp program, stated payments would be halted in November due to the budget shortfall over the shutdown.

Prior to the high court's action, the Agriculture Department said it was working to comply with the multiple rulings and was making efforts to doll out the full funds.

Supreme Court Action

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued the order on Friday evening, called an temporary halt, effectively freezing the lower court's ruling for 48 hours while federal attorneys seek to overturn it.

This dispute over food aid funding has become among the most contentious of what is now the longest government shutdown in American history.

Wider Effects

Government workers have been without pay for over 30 days and flight operations has been disrupted as Congress members fail to agree a compromise to pass a budget.

Several states have used their own financial reserves to keep Snap payments flowing, which are worth around $6 to users via electronic benefit cards which can be redeemed in food markets.

But some states have said they are cannot cover the money which has been cut by the federal government.