WASHINGTON — More than two dozen states sued the Trump administration on Tuesday seeking to preserve food assistance benefits after officials announced last week they would not use emergency funds to cover the food stamp program during the government shutdown.

Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food assistance benefits to nearly 42 million people, or one in eight Americans, will run out at the end of the month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said. While some states have announced plans to step in to try to cover gaps, millions of Americans are still expected to be impacted by the pause in benefits.

The government has never fully stopped providing SNAP benefits since the modern version of the program began in the early 1960s. During

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