(CNN) The District of Columbia and New York state filed a lawsuit along with 13 other states and New York City against the US Department of Agriculture on Thursday challenging new Trump administration regulations that will require more food stamp recipients to work in order to receive benefits.

The move is a key part of the administration's efforts to overhaul the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as the food stamp program is formally known. The new requirement, set to go into effect in April, limits states' ability to waive existing work mandates and could result in 688,000 people losing assistance, according to the USDA.

Citing a federal statute against agency actions that are "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law," the lawsuit alleges that "the Rule conflicts with the federal statute, the purpose of SNAP, and the clear intent of Congress to alleviate hunger and malnutrition while maintaining States' flexibility."

A spokeswoman for the USDA said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. When the rule was announced in December, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement that it "lays the groundwork for the expectation that able-bodied Americans re-enter the workforce where there are currently more job openings than people to fill them."

"We need to encourage people by giving them a helping hand but not allowing it to become an indefinitely giving hand," he added. "Now, in the midst of the strongest economy in a generation, we need everyone who can work, to work."

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