"The evidence shows that people will go hungry, food pantries will be overburdened, and needless suffering will occur" if SNAP is not fully funded, said McConnell, who noted in a written order that more than half of the program's recipients are children, seniors and veterans.

"While the President of the United States professes a commitment to helping those it
serves, the government's actions tell a different story," McConnell wrote in that order.

"Faced with a choice between advancing relief and entrenching delay, it chose the latter — an outcome that predictably magnifies harm and undermines the very purpose of the program it administers."

The order came after plaintiffs in the case urged him to reject the administration's plan, a disclosed in a court filing on Monday, to pay only partial benefits.

The Trump administration later Thursday as the 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to overturn McConnell's order.

McConnell during Thursday's hearing pointed to a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump, who on Tuesday said that SNAP benefits "will be given on only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!"

Trump's post seemed to contradict statements by administration lawyers that the benefits would be partially paid for the month. The White House later said it would comply with McConnell's order but added that it would take to issue the partial benefits to recipients.

But McConnell at the hearing said Trump's post was effectively an admission that the administration intended to defy his prior order to seek out all possible funding sources so that full benefits could be paid.