Two federal judges ruled separately on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown.

The judges, in federal courts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program fully or partially in November. The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to stop SNAP benefits entirely for 42 million Americans — including 360,000 Connecticut residents — starting Saturday.

Those rulings, though, didn’t stop Connecticut state legislators’ demands to reserve hundreds of millions in state funds to shore up SNAP and other human service programs harmed by stalled federal aid.

Gov. Ned Lamont and state legislative leaders indicated Friday they would continue negotiating a plan to use Connecticut resources to ensure all vulnerable residents are protected.

In U.S. District Court in Boston, Judge Indira Talwani ruled in a written opinion that the USDA must pay for SNAP, calling the suspension “unlawful.” She ordered the Trump administration to advise the court by Monday as to whether it would use the contingency funds to provide reduced SNAP benefits for November or fully fund the program using both contingency funds and additional available funds.

The SNAP program entered October with about $6 billion in contingency funds, though that reserve likely now stands between $5 billion and $6 billion, with some used to cover SNAP administrative costs in October. A partial federal government shutdown starting Oct. 1 has blocked any new funds into the program.

But Talwani noted federal agriculture officials could supplement those dollars with customs receipts on all imports, which might allow for full benefits to be paid in November.

Meanwhile, in U.S. District Court in Providence, Judge John J. McConnell ruled from the bench in a case filed by cities and nonprofits that the program must be funded using at least the contingency funds, and he also asked for an update on progress by Monday.

Still, it wasn’t immediately clear how quickly the debit cards that beneficiaries use to buy food could be reloaded after the ruling. That process often takes one to two weeks.

And the rulings are likely to face appeals.

Connecticut officials applauded the rulings Friday but acknowledged the SNAP crisis is far from over.

“Donald Trump now has a stark legal and moral choice before him — he can keep fighting this losing battle, he can insist on starving American families for political leverage, or he can release the funds now,” said Attorney General William Tong.

Connecticut, 24 other states and the District of Columbia filed the lawsuit heard in federal court in Boston, arguing the White House has a legal and a moral obligation to spend contingency funds at least.

“While this ruling may offer last-minute relief for the many who rely on SNAP, I urge the federal government to honor it now and for [Agriculture] Secretary [Brooke] Rollins to use not only the department’s contingency fund but also her transfer authority to increase benefits,” Lamont wrote in a statement shortly after the rulings, adding that state social services officials would issue November benefits as soon as the USDA authorizes payments.

“In Connecticut, we take care of our own and will continue to stand by our residents until this federal shutdown is resolved,” the governor said.

But state legislative leaders from both parties have chastised the Democratic governor this week, saying he did too little to prepare for a benefits stoppage that had become evident weeks ago.

Lamont dedicated $3 million for an emergency grant to support food pantries while governors in several other states dedicated tens of millions of dollars in provide state-backed food benefits to replace the vanishing federal aid to needy households.

State House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, and House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, said they both remain committed to designating a huge state reserve, likely involving hundreds of millions of dollars.

This could be used to replace stalled federal SNAP benefits if federal court appeals lead to more delays, or if federal contingency funds eventually are exhausted. With the General Assembly expected to go into special session on Nov. 12-13, legislative leaders say they want to ensure enough state reserves as designated to protect programs, if necessary, until the regular 2026 legislative session opens on Feb. 4.

“This is about more than just SNAP,” Candelora said. “I think that we need to act as if this government shutdown is going to continue.”

And even after the shutdown is over and federal agency operations return to normal, Ritter said, many state legislators also want to review human service programs that face ongoing reductions in federal funding in 2027 and 2028 due to cutbacks ordered by Congress in July.

“The shutdown has only made it more important to do this [reserve] fund,” Ritter added. “It’s not just SNAP that’s at risk.”

Some state legislators already have said they want to bolster Connecticut’s winter heating assistance grants, which traditionally have been paid using only federal aid, with some state funding.

Lamont, a fiscal moderate, has traditionally objected to using state funds to supplement programs normally funded by the federal government, a stance that sometimes leaves him at odds with his fellow Democrats in the General Assembly’s majority.

State Rep. Josh Elliott of Hamden, who is challenging Lamont for the 2026 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, said Friday the fiscally moderate governor would find himself at odds with nearly the entire General Assembly unless he agrees to dedicate more state dollars to help feed hungry families and keep homes heated this winter. Simply giving $3 million to food pantries, Elliott said, won’t cut it.

“It would astonish me, given the amount of suffering that we’re hearing from our constituents across the board, that we wouldn’t have super-majorities in both chambers” ready to spend state funds on nutrition and home heating assistance, Elliott said.

The Hamden lawmaker said the legislature should even consider a state tax rebate if that is the only way to get extra resources in November to poor families that cannot afford groceries.

The average Connecticut household on SNAP receives about $324 per month, or about $81 per week.

Connecticut’s SNAP income limits equal 200% of the Federal Poverty Level for gross monthly income — $5,200 for a family of four — or 100% of the poverty level for net monthly income.