In response to a court ruling, the federal government announced it would distribute partial food assistance amid the ongoing government shutdown.

There are more than 130,000 Idahoans who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Money for the program was expected to run out in November because of the shut down, but a federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use contingency funds to continue providing food assistance for the 42 million low-income Americans who use it, the States Newsroom reported.

The Donald Trump administration wrote in a court filing Monday that it planned to cover 50 percent of current payments, the New York Times reported.

The average monthly SNAP benefit in Idaho in 2024 was $179 per household member or $301 per household, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The benefits are administered in Idaho by the state Department of Health and Welfare. A spokesman for the agency told the Idaho Capital Sun Monday morning that it had not received formal guidance about how much money Idaho beneficiaries might be receiving as a result of the change.

Prior to the court ruling, funding for the program had been expected to run out in November, and Health and Welfare announced in late October it would pause issuing assistance for the state program, the Sun reported.

Experts and members of Congress have said that SNAP recipients may see delays in benefits, the States Newsroom reported.