Around two dozen US states run by Democrats sued President Donald Trump's administration Tuesday over its refusal to tap emergency funds to preserve vital food aid threatened by the government shutdown.

Now on its 28th day, the standoff in Congress over spending is increasingly piling pain on the public sector, with the largest federal employees' union pressuring Senate Democrats to reopen the government.

Food stamps are rapidly becoming one of the most pressing pain points in the shutdown, with 42 million low-income Americans set to lose access to vital help with grocery bills from Saturday.

The government has indicated that it won't put a $5 billion "contingency" fund towards the estimated $8 billion required to ensure the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program pays out November's

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