SPOKANE, Wash. — On Friday, two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration must pay out SNAP benefits , the nation’s biggest food aid program, using emergency reserve funds during the government shutdown.

The ruling comes the same day Eastern Washington Congressman Michael Baumgartner made a stop in Spokane to hear how local food banks are handling a surge in demand because of the shutdown.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries are set to go unpaid starting Saturday, Nov. 1. On Friday, Congressman Baumgartner got a firsthand look at what that means here at Second Harvest in Spokane.

"They’re already starting to stock up on items, so that’s why you can see a reduction in the number of items here in the warehouse," said Baumgartner.

The empty shelves, Second

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