Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, declared a state of emergency on Thursday. Other state and local leaders joined her and used local funds to help fill the gap.Hochul said on social media, "I'm declaring a State of Emergency so we can use all of our resources to help the three million New Yorkers who are losing food assistance because of the GOP shutdown."
Virginia, New Mexico, and Rhode Island have also declared emergencies in the last few days to deal with the situation.
Federal programs usually have problems or stop working when the government shuts down. However, the Trump administration's choice to completely end food benefits on November 1 is unprecedented.
The federal government has never before put a hold on money for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is also called food stamps.
Democrats say that the White House is using food aid to get politicians to back Trump's goals.
Twenty-five states run by Democrats have sued to make sure that SNAP keeps getting money. On Thursday, a federal court in Massachusetts held a hearing.
The plaintiffs wrote in a filing, "The suspension of SNAP benefits will not meet the nutritional needs of millions of school-aged children in Plaintiff States."
They also said that food assistance programs will hurt grocery stores and other businesses that work with them.
Indira Talwani, a judge in the US District Court, said she would make a decision later that day.
Talwani also said that the government should find a "fair way" to cut benefits instead of getting rid of them completely.
Federal nutrition assistance is a big part of the US's fight against poverty, and about 42 million people, or one out of every eight, depend on it.
The USDA spends about $8 billion a month to run SNAP. In the past, the department used its emergency funds to keep food assistance going.
The Trump administration says it can't get to that money this time because the government is shut down, which has led to a fight between Democrats and Republicans.
The two sides couldn't agree on whether to talk about getting better access to healthcare, and they didn't pass a budget bill by the September 30 deadline.
The USDA said on October 26 that it was ending SNAP benefits because Democrats weren't funding the government.
The USDA's website said, "Bottom line, the well has run dry." " No benefits will be given out on November 1 at this time. The Senate Democrats are about to reach a turning point.
That statement made it harder for state and local officials to figure out how to help people get food who might not have been able to otherwise. Food banks and other charities are also getting ready for more people to ask for their help.
Civil society groups are especially worried about how changes to benefits might hurt vulnerable groups like children and the poor.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement, "The US bishops are very worried that important programs that help the common good, like SNAP, may be stopped as this government shutdown goes on."
"This would be awful for families and people who need SNAP to feed their families." It would be hardest on the poor and weak people in our country, who are the least able to move forward.