A federal appeals court on Monday granted a request from U.S. House Republicans to pause their lawsuit that challenges how the Obama administration funded an insurance subsidy program of the Affordable Care Act.

The House, represented by its general counsel Thomas Hungar, had asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to freeze the litigation to allow Donald Trump's Justice Department to re-evaluate whether to settle or withdraw the case.

The D.C. Circuit panel—judges Karen LeCraft Henderson, David Tatel and Sri Srinivasan—granted the request. The court asked the lawyers in the case to update the panel on Feb. 21 about the next steps. The ruling was a win for the House, which had secured a key decision in the trial court that funding for the subsidies program was unlawful. The Justice Department brought the appeal.