President Trump said food benefits will only get paid once the shutdown ends, in a post on Truth Social Tuesday morning.

Why it matters: The post appears to defy two federal courts that ruled last week the White House must pay at least partial Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits even in a shutdown. • Some 42 million Americans rely on SNAP to feed themselves, a majority are children or adults over age 60. • This is the first shutdown to ever disrupt SNAP payments, which are a critical anti-poverty program.

Zoom in: "SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden's disastrous term in office," Trump said on Truth Social, "… will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government."

Reality check: Ther

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