(CNN) — Tens of millions of Americans who rely on the nation’s largest federal food assistance program have been caught in a weekslong swirl of Trump administration pronouncements, court orders and anxiety since the US government shutdown has called their ability to buy groceries into question.

Some recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the program formerly known as food stamps, have received their full benefits this month, while others have only received a fraction of their usual allotment, while still others remain in limbo , uncertain if or when their payments will arrive.

In response, a group of Democratic-led states and a coalition of cities, nonprofits, unions and small businesses have launched fast-moving legal challenges seeking to restore f

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