White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday blasted what she called an "unhinged" Rhode Island judge whose order required full funding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the federal government shutdown, calling it "judicial overreach at its finest."

Leavitt said the Trump administration challenged the ruling because it improperly directed how the executive branch should spend federal funds.

"We can't have the judicial branch telling the executive branch what to pay for and where that money has to come from," she told reporters during Wednesday's briefing, which aired live on Newsmax and the Newsmax2 free online streaming platform.

The dispute stemmed from lawsuits filed by advocacy groups and Democrat-led states after the Department of Agriculture, facing a lapse in appropriations, relied on a limited contingency fund to continue partial SNAP payments.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr., an Obama appointee, ruled Oct. 31 that the administration's decision to reduce benefits violated federal law and ordered full payments restored. The Department of Justice appealed, calling the order unconstitutional.

On Nov. 6, McConnell directed that about $4 billion be shifted from other nutrition programs to fund November benefits, a move Leavitt said would have "robbed the Children Nutrition Fund." The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld McConnell's order on Monday, but Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Tuesday issued a temporary stay while the case proceeds.

Leavitt said the administration had been "proven right" in defending the president's constitutional authority. "That's not how our Constitution works," she said of the judge's order.

The House was expected to vote later Wednesday on a Senate-passed funding bill to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The measure would then go to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature.

Leavitt said Trump remains committed to ensuring full SNAP benefits once funding is restored.

"Thanks to Republicans — and in several hours, President [Donald] Trump — the government is going to be reopened and SNAP recipients are going to receive their full benefits," she said.

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