The Brief

Some states are taking action to protect food assistance as the federal government plans to suspend SNAP payments starting Saturday.

The Trump administration says food stamp payments will be suspended on Nov. 1 because of the ongoing government shutdown.

Officials in 25 states filed a lawsuit to try to force the administration to continue payments. A ruling is expected late Thursday.

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

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