Earlier this week, 25 states and the District of Columbia sued the administration after the U.S. Department of Agriculture notified state SNAP agencies that November benefits would not be released. In the suit, the states argue the USDA has approximately $5 billion in contingency funds that Congress appropriated to continue SNAP funding during shutdowns or other emergencies.

The administration has maintained that it lacks the authority to use the reserve funds, and said last week it wouldn’t use other tools like its transfer authority to continue November benefits. Instead Republicans and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins have argued it’s up to Democrats to reopen the government, and the contingency reserve should be saved in case of a natural disaster. While the judge’s decision is a win for anti-hunger groups, states will likely be unable to roll out benefits immediately. Signe Anderson, senior director of nutrition advocacy at the Tennessee Justice Center, said it will likely take the state up to 10 days to issue benefits. “A day late is often too late for families that are living on a thin margin,” Anderson said. “A 10-day delay is still going to be a serious disaster for the state.” (Link to this post).