NEW JERSEY (PIX11) -- Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a State of Emergency as the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The proposed freeze to the nation's biggest food aid program comes amid the government shutdown, with officials saying it can no longer keep funding SNAP.

Gov. Murphy announced the State of Emergency will go into effect at 12 a.m. on Nov. 1.

Murphy posted the following statement on X: "The Trump Administration's decision to suspend SNAP benefits threatens the health and safety of over 800,000 New Jerseyans. We will use every available resource to protect vulnerable residents."

On Oct. 31, federal courts ruled that the federal government’s decision to withhold SNAP funding was unlawful. However, the USDA

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