Nearly 3 million low-income New Yorkers could miss their next aid payments for groceries under a federal response to the Washington budget standoff that Gov. Kathy Hochul has lambasted.
In a furious statement Thursday, Oct. 16, Hochul said states were told to withhold payments starting on Nov. 1 for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federally funded safety-net program formerly known as food stamps. A Trump administration notice shared by her office said there won’t be enough money for 42 million Americans’ SNAP benefits in November if the impasse continues.
“This is a cruel, senseless and politically motivated punishment inflicted by the Trump Administration that they have the power to avoid,” Hochul charged in her statement. “Lives depend on this, and Washington Republicans need to stop playing games. Release this federal funding right now and let states get this money to families to ensure they don’t go hungry!”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, responded by forwarding the USA TODAY Network the same Oct. 10 directive that was sent to every state and that Hochul’s office released. The notice says the program has enough funding to pay benefits in October but not in November. States are told to send no benefit funding to the vendors who manage their SNAP cards.
Much of the federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1 because of a partisan deadlock over how to continue funding it. Republicans want a short-term budget measure with no conditions, while Democrats want to include an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies to stop a huge spike in health insurance costs. Republicans control both chambers of Congress but don’t have enough Senate votes to prevail.
Program changes: How many in NY, Hudson Valley could lose food stamps under GOP bill? The numbers
New York Governor Kathy Hochul addresses the media following President Trump’s efforts to kill New York’s congestion pricing on Feb. 19, 2025 in New York City. Earlier in the day, the Trump administration terminated approval of New York City congestion pricing The toll structure had been hitting motorists for $9 if they rolled into central Manhattan from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays between certain hours.
SNAP makes monthly payments to poor, elderly and disabled people to buy groceries at participating stores with debit cards. Payments average about $200 per person in New York. The current income cutoff to qualify for the program is at around $23,000 for an individual and $47,000 for a family of four.
The benefits have always been fully funded by the federal government for decades, but Republicans changed that approach in their package of spending and tax cuts this year by requiring states to begin paying a share of the costs for the first time. They also shifted a bigger portion of SNAP’s administrative expenses to the states.
Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Trump sets deadline for SNAP benefits if shutdown continues, Hochul says
