A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to immediately release full funding for November’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), sharply criticizing President Donald Trump for signaling he would ignore an earlier court mandate.

U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. directed the administration to make the full payment by Friday, calling the government’s delay “simply unacceptable.”

“People have gone without for too long,” McConnell wrote. “Not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable.”

McConnell said Trump had openly declared “his intent to defy the court order” when he stated this week that SNAP benefits would not be restored until the shutdown ends.

Last Friday, McConnell ordered the administration to tap emergency funds to cover the Nov. 1 payments. Instead, officials committed to issuing only 65% of benefits, arguing remaining funds were needed for child nutrition programs.

DOJ attorneys said Thursday night they plan to appeal both of McConnell’s rulings.

Vice President JD Vance blasted the decision, calling it “an absurd ruling” and accusing Democrats of causing the shutdown. “In the midst of a shutdown, we can’t have a federal court telling the president how he has to triage the situation,” Vance said.

McConnell rejected the administration’s claims, noting officials had additional emergency funds available and were aware their partial payments would not arrive in time to meet the court’s deadline.

“Without SNAP funding for the month of November, 16 million children are immediately at risk of going hungry,” McConnell wrote. “This should never happen in America.”

Nonprofits and local governments sued earlier this week, arguing that partial benefits violated the judge’s order. DOJ responded that raiding unrelated programs for billions of dollars “in the mere hope” Congress would later replenish those funds was unreasonable.

McConnell said the administration failed to meet either option he laid out: make full payments by Monday, or ensure partial payments were delivered no later than Wednesday. The government has acknowledged the payments could take weeks or months to process.

“It is clear to the court that the administration did not comply,” he wrote. “We’ve now gone six days without needed food to the 42 million, including 16 million children. Irreparable harm.”

McConnell again faulted Trump personally for declaring his intention to disregard the order.