Vice President Vance criticized a federal court ruling requiring the Trump administration to make full SNAP payments for November, calling it “absurd” during a White House roundtable.

He argued that the court should not dictate how the president allocates funds during a government shutdown and urged Democrats to reopen the government.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell had rejected the administration’s plan for partial SNAP payments, prompting the Justice Department to appeal.

The Trump administration had planned to cut off SNAP for 42 million Americans due to the shutdown, which has become the longest in U.S. history, The Hill has reported.

Vance said the White House would prioritize funding certain operations while complying with the law and keeping government functions running.