Matthew Hatcher / AFP via Getty Images

More than 40 million Americans who rely on federal food assistance woke up to uncertainty on Saturday over whether their aid is secure or when it will resume in full.

A federal judge in Rhode Island on Friday ordered the White House to use contingency funds to pay for those benefits. But it was unclear how that decision would correspond with a separate decision by a judge in Massachusetts telling the administration it had until "no later than Monday" to come up with a way to use emergency funds to pay for aid.

The impasse over funding the government means that the nearly 1 in 8 U.S. residents who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, to buy groceries may be facing at least a temporary lapse in benefits. Followi

See Full Page