PHOENIX (AZFamily/AP) — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes joined attorney generals from 22 other states in asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to clarify plans about food stamps and other nutrition assistance amid a directive telling states not to send November benefits .

The fate of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , or SNAP, which helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries, is becoming a growing concern as it approaches Nov. 1, when benefits could dry up without either a resolution to the federal government shutdown or other action.

The USDA, which oversees SNAP, told states earlier this month not to send information to vendors that issue debit cards because of uncertainty about whether the program would be funded in November.

“In addition to causing health i

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