Washington DC - The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended a pause on a ruling ordering President Donald Trump's administration to pay food benefits during the ongoing government shutdown.

A lower court last week ruled that Trump's government must fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for November by the end of Friday.

However, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a so-called administrative stay to pause the ruling and give the court system additional time to consider the administration's request to withhold funding.

The unsigned order extends the stay through Thursday night, allowing the Trump administration to avoid using contingency funds to make a multi-billion-dollar payment to states so they could distribute food stamps to around 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP to afford groceries.

US government agencies have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, and the pain has been mounting as welfare programs hang in the balance.

However, the Senate on Monday passed a bill to fund the US government through January.

The bill requires approval by the House, which is expected to meet Wednesday for debate and a possible vote, as well as Trump's signature before the government reopens.