WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Welcome to the "News Hour."

Two federal judges ruled today that the Trump administration must continue to pay for SNAP benefits during the government shutdown using emergency funds that were set aside earlier by Congress.

It comes one day before a freeze was set to take effect for the nation's biggest food aid program, which is also known as food stamps.

Before the judges' rulings came down, House Speaker Mike Johnson gave a news conference, along with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

They warned that her department's $5 billion contingency fund cannot cover SNAP for long if the shutdown continues.

BROOKE ROLLINS, U.S.

Secretary of Agriculture: It is a contingency fund that can only flow if the underlying appropriation is approved.

And, listen, even if it could flow, it doesn't even cover half of the month of November.

So here we are again in two weeks having the exact same conversation.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Democrats have argued that a separate fund with about $23 billion could be tapped to keep the food stamp program running.

SNAP pays out about $8 billion per month and goes to roughly one in eight Americans.

Another social safety net program that is potentially at risk with this shutdown is Head Start, the federal program that provides early childhood education, health, and food support for low-income families.

Without funding, hundreds of Head Start programs across the country will have to close their doors, which could impact tens of thousands of children across the country.

Here's how Rekah Strong, who runs some Head Start programs in Vancouver, Washington, described it.

REKAH STRONG, CEO, Educational Opportunities for Children and Families: When I look at our families, when I look at our babies and I walk into that classroom -- and I'm sorry it makes me emotional.

Because I know the support and the impact that our programs have both on our children and families, and knowing that there are some classrooms that come Monday, when I go out to check on them and see how folks are doing, our families won't be there.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So joining us now is Tommy Sheridan.

He is the deputy director of the National Head Start Association, which is a nonprofit organization.

Tommy, thanks for being here.

Without this funding, how many programs, how many kids are we talking about losing this?

TOMMY SHERIDAN, Deputy Director, National Head Start Association: Yes, well, William, thank you so much for having me and telling this important story.

As of Monday of this coming week, if the government does not reopen before then, we are going to see approximately 140 -- that's out of 100 -- 1,600 Head Start grant recipients nationwide -- 140 of them will be at risk of losing access to their federal resources.

That is a total of 65,000 children and families that Head Start, that those programs serve.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Can you remind us, for people who are not familiar with the program, what Head Start does for families and kids?

TOMMY SHERIDAN: Yes, a lot of folks think of Head Start as a preschool program, which it is.

But it's so much more than that.

Head Start truly is a place where some children, it's the place that they are able to access nutritious meals.

It's where they get connected to health services, dental services.

It's where children who might have developmental delays are able to be connected to the support services that they need to be successful in school and in life.

And it also provides family support.

So it is much more of a comprehensive program than just a regular preschool program, which is so incredibly important as well.

But this is really one of the most critical programs for so many Americans across the country.

Children and families who are in Head Start, they are some of the most at-risk children and families in our communities.

We're talking about families who are income-eligible, meaning below the federal poverty guidelines, or experiencing homelessness, in the foster care system or eligible for food benefits.

Head Start truly is the launchpad to success for millions of children and families across America over its 60 years.

And we're terrified about what is going to come if the government shutdown continues.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: And is this pain going to be spread equally across the country?

Are certain states going to feel it, see it impacts more than others?

TOMMY SHERIDAN: So, no, the beauty of Head Start is, it actually is a federal-to-local program.

So the federal government, Department of Health and Human Services, provides grant funds to community-based programs.

Could be a school district, could be a nonprofit agency, a faith-based organization, a city or county government.

And the way that Head Start is structured, each of these individual grants have different start dates.

So that's why we're only talking about 140 out of the 1,600 that are nationwide.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I see.

And has this ever occurred in previous shutdowns?

TOMMY SHERIDAN: Yes, the last shutdown that's comparable was during the Obama administration back in 2013.

And that's because of the timing.

This shutdown occurred at the start of the federal fiscal year, starting on October 1.

That's why programs are in such a difficult position.

There has been no funds appropriated by Congress or the president to date in this fiscal year.

That was the same back in 2013.

There was at that time a number of programs that were forced to close.

And, similarly, we're very concerned that we are on track for doing that exact same thing.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So, from that previous experience, what does your understanding -- what is your understanding about what the downstream consequences would be for those kids and families?

TOMMY SHERIDAN: Yes, so the good part about the past shutdown is that it was really only a short period of time that there was a shutdown, just a couple of weeks.

Unfortunately, with this shutdown, we're looking much longer at the impact here.

The impact is really on four different groups.

It's on children who rely on Head Start for their health services, nutritious meals, things of that kind.

It's on families who rely on Head Start to be able to work their multiple jobs or go to school, be in a trade school, whatever that may be.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Because it's like a -- in some ways childcare of sorts.

TOMMY SHERIDAN: It is childcare for a lot of these families.

And it's a reliable childcare that provides these extra services that a lot of families really rely on.

There's also, of course, the staff that work in Head Start programs, who are highly trained professional individuals who oftentimes are at the lowest of our -- of salaries across the United States of America.

Early childhood sector is one of the lowest paid... WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Professions.

TOMMY SHERIDAN: Professions, thank you.

And then, of course, also there will be ripple effects on communities.

Head Start, given that it's federal to local, we have local businesses, we have small businesses, vendors, contractors that we rely on to be able to provide the local launchpad to success that Head Start provides.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, Tommy Sheridan of the National Head Start Association, thank you so much for being here.

TOMMY SHERIDAN: Thank you for having me.