Payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could be suspended starting Saturday if the government shutdown continues or a judge doesn’t step in to stop the cuts.

The program, which costs around $8 billion a month and serves about 1 in 8 Americans, is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. It would be the first time in the program’s history that payments would be suspended.

Ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline, some states are taking action to protect food assistance for their most vulnerable residents.

Why are SNAP payments being suspended?

What they're saying:

The Trump administration said it’s not allowed to use a contingency fund with about $5 billion in it for the program, despite an earlier plan that would have tapped the money to keep SNAP running amid

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