SNAP emerged as a critical flashpoint in the longest-ever government shutdown, which entered its 40th day on Nov. 9.

President Donald Trump's administration is demanding that states reverse full SNAP benefits issued under recent court orders. The U.S.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a late-night Saturday memo, also threatened to impose financial penalties on states that did not comply with the government's new orders.

A video of a large line outside a food bank in Cleveland has gone viral amid the ongoing freezing of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ( SNAP) during the government shutdown.

In failing to fully fund the food assistance program that covers 42 million low-income Americans, the judge said the government "failed to consider the harms" to people who rely on the benefits.

SNAP benefits are in the process of being sent to recipients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey following a judge's order.

For a household of four, the usual maximum of $975 has been reduced to $497 per month. Across all household sizes, the SNAP reduction is roughly 49 percent—meaning households claiming the top amount will get about half of their usual monthly benefit in November.

The new USDA directive comes as the U.S. Supreme Court granted the U.S. Department of Agriculture an administrative stay to pause SNAP benefits while the legal battles over them continue to play out. States including New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have been moving swiftly to release SNAP benefits to residents.

Collecting food is a year-round effort at St. Joan of Arc, but the uncertainty around SNAP benefits​ is leading to more giving than usual.

The Supreme Court temporarily paused a lower-court order requiring the federal government to fully fund SNAP benefits.