The U.S. Department of Agriculture has defended its decision not to use a contingency fund for November's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is facing disruption due to the federal government shutdown, warning that using the reserve "would be both legally dubious and practically disastrous."

Dozens of states are suing the department, which oversees SNAP food stamps, demanding the estimated $5 to $6 billion contingency fund be used when funds run dry in November. More than 40 million Americans use SNAP to pay for groceries.

In a court filing on Wednesday, the department argued the money is needed for emergencies, such as natural disasters, and concluded, "wiping out the long-term emergency fund, or depleting the Child Nutrition Programs, would be both legally dubi

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