The Supreme Court late Tuesday night extended the pause on a federal judge’s order that required the Trump administration to fully fund November’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, letting the “political process” play out as Congress reportedly nears a deal to end the government shutdown.

The Court’s decision keeps in place the administrative stay, first granted by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Friday, until 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The Trump administration had urged the justices to extend the freeze, arguing that a pending deal to reopen the government would make the entire legal battle over the $4 billion in benefits for 42 million Americans “moot.”

The ruling avoids a definitive decision on the lower court’s order for the administration to transfer funds

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