CHICAGO, Ill. (CNI) - Illinois joined 24 other states and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump administration over plans to stop funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Saturday as the federal government shutdown continues.

About 1.9 million people in Illinois, and about 42 million people across the country, depend on SNAP benefits, otherwise known as food stamps, each month. The state administers $350 million in SNAP benefits each month to low-income or other qualifying individuals, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services. Forty-five percent of SNAP households include children, and 44% include a person with a disability.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced earlier this month that it will not have money to pay SNAP benefits in November if t

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