President Donald Trump caused some confusion earlier Tuesday when he appeared to threaten SNAP benefits unless Democrats voted to reopen the government — despite court orders mandating that the administration keep the nation's largest food program running.

Press secretary Karoline Levitt said Tuesday the administration continues to pay out SNAP funding using contingency funding, which is what two separate judges ordered on Monday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had planned to freeze SNAP payments starting Nov. 1 because of a lapse in funds during the government shutdown.

In a social media post Tuesday morning, Trump said SNAP benefits had been handed out "haphazardly" under his predecessor.

SNAP benefits "will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!" Trump added.

The government says the emergency fund it will use has enough to cover about half the normal benefits. Leavitt said Trump "does not want to have to tap into this fund in the future," which is what he meant by his social media post earlier in the day.