(LEX 18) — Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has joined 25 other states in filing a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, challenging the agency's unprecedented suspension of November SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, argues that USDA's decision to withhold food assistance benefits violates federal law and is "arbitrary and capricious," despite the reported availability of billions in contingency funds specifically appropriated by Congress for the program.

Kentucky's SNAP Program at Risk

The lawsuit details that Kentucky's SNAP program serves around 593,000 residents each month, including around 230,000 children under 18 and about 280,000 families. The Commonwealth issues around $104 million per

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