WASHINGTON >> More than two dozen states sued the Trump administration today over its recent refusal to fund food stamps during the government shutdown, seeking to spare roughly 42 million people from hunger and financial hardship starting in a matter of days.

The states, including officials in Hawaii, California and Massachusetts, asked a federal judge to force Washington to tap emergency reserve money so families would not see an interruption to their benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, starting Nov. 1.

Roughly 1 in 8 people in the United States receive food stamps, which average around $187 a month and cost the federal government about $8 billion monthly. Lawmakers must regularly approve money for it, though SNAP maintains a sizable reserve to cover

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