The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed out of the dispute over funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and extended for two more days, until Thursday, the suspension of payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which benefits approximately 42 million people.

The Court stated that it did not The Supreme Court would rule immediately on a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits During the government shutdown, as Congress may be close to passing a federal budget bill to address the issue. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an “administrative stay” on Friday of a Rhode Island lower court order requiring the Trump administration to resume SNAP payments, a stay that was extended Tuesday by the high court. The court did not rule Tuesday on the merits of the case, given that the House of Representatives is likely to pass a federal budget extension this week that would allow the government to reopen and resume all programs, including SNAP. The Senate passed the budget measure Monday, with a group of Democrats joining Republicans, and it now only needs to be passed by the House and sent to Trump for his signature.

The suspension of food stamp payments is the main legal battle raging during the current government shutdown, which at 42 days is already the longest in the country's history, paralyzing the operation of federal agencies and the funding of social programs.

The House is expected to vote Wednesday to reopen the government until January 30 and fully fund several agencies and programs for the year, including food assistance and veterans' benefits.

Reopening the government would restart the SNAP program, which helps 42 million Americans buy food, but it is unclear how quickly full payments would summarize.

In some states, people who rely on SNAP to feed their families have received their full monthly payments, while in others they have received partial benefits, and in some states they have received nothing at all.