Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday signaled that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits could restart as soon as this week. “There’s a process that has to be followed, so we’ve got to figure out what the process is,

A federal judge gave the administration until noon Monday to share how it planned to comply with his order to fully or partially fund SNAP as the shutdown continues.

The government shutdown has frozen SNAP funding for 42 million Americans. Food banks warn shelves are emptying fast as states struggle to fill the gap.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which impacts roughly 42 million Americans, could resume as soon as Wednesday. His comments come days after two federal judges ruled that the administration must use contingency funds to make SNAP payments.

The status of the SNAP food assistance program is up in the air amid lawsuits and a lapse in funding from the federal government.

The Michigan Senate supports creating a backup fund for SNAP food assistance in the state, but the House has yet to vote.

Phil Murphy, along with Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Senate President Nick Scutari, was preparing to accelerate SNAP funding for food programs.