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America's top court has granted an emergency order that temporarily allows the Trump administration to withhold billions in funding for nutrition assistance relied on by countless needy U.S. residents.

The White House sought relief from the Supreme Court after a lower court ruled that the SNAP program, called food aid, should be paid out in full to beneficiaries by Friday.

This assistance has been left in limbo by the continuing budget impasse, with the government arguing it could only afford to partially fund it.

Friday's ruling means $4bn can be temporarily withheld until more court proceedings.

SNAP's Reach

The Snap programme is used by 42 million Americans - approximately 12% - and requires almost $9bn a month.

Earlier this week, a federal magistrate, John McConnell, accused the government of blocking nutrition funds "for political reasons" and said that without the aid "16 million children are immediately at risk of going hungry".

The judge mandated the government to fund the programme in full.

Legal Background

The Thursday ruling followed another that ordered the government to use reserve money to at least partly pay for the assistance for last month.

This court battle was spurred after the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Snap programme, stated payments would be halted in November due to the lack of funding over the shutdown.

Before the Supreme Court stepped in, the Agriculture Department said it was working to comply with the various court orders and was making efforts to doll out the complete amount.

Supreme Court Action

High Court Judge Justice Jackson issued the stay on Friday evening, called an administrative stay, effectively freezing the previous decision for two days while government lawyer's seek to overturn it.

This dispute over food aid funding has become one of the bitterest of what is now the lengthiest budget standoff in American history.

Broader Impact

Government workers have been without pay for more than a month and air travel has been disrupted as Congress members cannot reach a compromise to pass a budget.

Some states have used their own financial reserves to keep food benefits going, which are valued at around $6 to recipients via electronic benefit cards which can be redeemed in grocery stores.

But some states have said they are cannot cover the funding which has been lost from the federal government.