BOSTON – Two judges could rule as soon as Friday on whether President Donald Trump's administration must replenish SNAP food aid benefits for November despite the government shutdown.

The grocery-buying ability for about 1 in 8 Americans could hinge on the outcomes.

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Even if a judge rules the benefits cannot be suspended for the first time in SNAP's 61-year history, many beneficiaries are likely to face delays in getting the debit cards they use to buy groceries reloaded. That process can take one to two weeks, so it's likely too late to get funds on cards in the first days of November.

In a hearing in Boston Thursday on a legal challenge filed by Democratic officials from 25 states, one federal judge seemed skeptical of the administration’s argument that SNAP bene

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