More than two dozen Democratic state leaders are suing the Department of Agriculture after the Trump administration said it would not use contingency funds to pay SNAP benefits during the shutdown.

With benefits expected to run out Saturday because of the government shutdown, Democratic leaders of 25 states allege the USDA is required to keep providing funds.

The US Department of Agriculture warned Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will not go out on Nov. 1 — disrupting food access nationwide as the government shutdown drags on. The department posted a notice with the grim announcement after the Trump administration said it would not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep SNAP benefits flowing into November,

SNAP has about $6 billion in the contingency fund — short of the roughly $9 billion needed to cover a full month of the program, putting November benefits in jeopardy.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it does not have the money to pay for food stamp benefits for November.

A Boston federal judge indicated Thursday she will require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to tap into a contingency fund to partially cover Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

SNAP, or food stamps, won't be available to some 42 million Americans come Nov. 1. But what can you buy with SNAP? Only 'healthy' food? See here.

As November looms, states are trying to sort what options they can offer beneficiaries to fill the gap in food assistance. Kansas' Democratic governor is suing the USDA for refusing to fund SNAP during the shutdown,