The Trump administration said Nov. 3 that it planned to partially fund food aid for millions of Americans after two judges ruled it must use contingency funds to pay for the benefits in November. It could take days, if not a week or more, for the money to arrive.

Reporters from the NPR Network are covering the uncertainty and lapse in benefits in states across the country.

Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to use emergency funds to provide at least partial food stamp benefits to tens of millions of Americans in November, as the federal government shutdown drags on.

The Trump administration said it will fund the food assistance program in part this month. The threat of a lapse has incited chaos in Washington, on social media and at food banks nationwide.

Propel makes a free app for people on food stamps. Now it's giving some of them $50 each, as some private companies, nonprofits, and individuals scramble to help.

Posters have circulated on social media claiming several restaurant chains are offering free meals to SNAP recipients.

"It's shameful for the government to have been shut down," Feenstra said in a Food Bank of Iowa tour. "It really is, and it puts people in a pinch."