A federal judge in Rhode Island gave the Trump administration a Friday deadline to find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. on Thursday was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit.

“The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP,” McConnell said. “They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial Snap payments and failed to consider the harm to individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer.”

The Trump administration said last month that it would not pay benefits at all for November because of the federal shutdown. Last week, two judges ordered the government to pay at least partial benefits using an emergency fund following lawsuits, one of which Maine was part of. The administration initially said it would cover half, but it now says it will cover 65%.

The plaintiffs want the benefits to be fully funded.

The USDA said last month that benefits for November wouldn’t be paid because of the federal government shutdown. That set off a scramble by food banks, state governments and the nearly 42 million Americans who receive the aid to find ways to ensure access to groceries.

The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. It costs more than $8 billion per month nationally.

Nearly 170,000 people in Maine stand to lose their November SNAP benefits, which are typically distributed midmonth. Food banks and pantries have reported a 20% to 50% increase in demand for their services, but have seen a surge in volunteers and donations in recent weeks.

However, many pantries have emphasized that there is no way they can fully supplement the lack of food stamps, estimating that the program provides nine times as many meals as the charitable food system.

Gov. Janet Mills has rolled out more than $1 million to aid pantries. The governor has yet to move to release money from the state’s nearly $1 billion rainy day fund to supplement SNAP benefits despite calls to do so, including by one lawmaker who asserts that Maine’s Constitution requires such a step.

Staff Writer Drew Johnson contributed to this report.