(The Hill) – Democratic officials in 25 states sued the Trump administration Tuesday in an attempt to block a food assistance program from drying up this weekend amid the ongoing government shutdown.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has indicated that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which are provided to more than 40 million low-income Americans, will be suspended starting Nov. 1.

The states contend the administration is legally required to first spend the SNAP contingency fund, which experts say currently has between $5 billion and $6 billion. It wouldn’t be enough to fully cover the November benefits, which are estimated at roughly $8 billion, but the states stressed it could cover “at least a significant portion.”

“The agency cannot simply suspend all b

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