| (White Plains, NY) – Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, State Senator Shelley Mayer, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, and local leaders gathered to demand the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agree to use contingency funds to continue the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through November. The leaders demanded that the unprecedented and cruel cuts be reversed.
Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Senator Mayer, and County Executive Jenkins were joined by Senator Pete Harckham; Assembly Members Chris Burdick and Dana Levenberg; County Legislators Nancy Barr, Terry Clements, Judah Holstein, David Imamura, Erika Pierce, and Jewel Williams Johnson; White Plains Mayor Tom Roach; White Plains Common Council Members Victoria Presser, Justin Brasch, and Jenn Puja; Tami Wilson, Interim CEO of Feeding Westchester; and Westchester Department of Social Services Commissioner Leonard Townes.
Over 45,000 households in Westchester County – over 73,000 residents – receive SNAP benefits. USDA is refusing to fund the program after November 1, threatening over 2.9 million New Yorkers and nearly 42 million Americans. This decision directly contradicts USDA’s 2024 contingency plan, which explicitly states that in the case of a government shutdown, USDA should continue providing essential benefits such as SNAP, the Child Nutrition program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) using contingency funds. Previous administrations have always used reserved funds, intended for unexpected program needs, to continue funding SNAP during Government shutdown. This is the first time in United States history that SNAP assistance would be stopped during a shutdown.
Thankfully, on Monday, Oct. 27, Governor Hochul announced New York will fast-track $30 million in state funds to support over 16 million meals for New Yorkers facing hunger without SNAP benefits. The state is also exploring ways to send students home from school with meals. This follows the announcement last week that more than $11 million will be provided to support local emergency food relief.
Additionally, yesterday Attorney General Letitia James announced that she has joined a coalition of 22 other Attorneys General challenging the decision of the USDA to stop SNAP benefits by filing a federal court action alleging their decision violated federal law.
Speakers demanded that USDA reverse its decision and fully fund the SNAP program after November 1st.
Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “On November 1st, millions of hardworking families and most vulnerable New Yorkers who rely on SNAP benefits will go without food. Despite the government shutdown, the USDA could release funding but refuses to do so, which is cruel and unconscionable. I stand with my colleagues in demanding an immediate end to the shutdown and urging Secretary Rollins to release the funding families need to survive.”
State Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, “I am joined by colleagues at many levels of government to demand the United States Department of Agriculture do the right thing and release the funds necessary to feed Americans across the country, including the over 73,000 residents in Westchester alone. The USDA has made an immoral, unprecedented decision. Never before has a government shutdown disrupted the distribution of SNAP benefits. This is a political decision that will be devastating to so many – primarily children, seniors, and individuals who are disabled. I am grateful that Governor Hochul has put forth funds to help those in need and that Attorney General James is suing the USDA over this decision –– but we should be clear this is a manufactured crisis. Under every faith tradition, it is a tenet that we must feed the hungry and help those in need. There is only one clear, moral thing to do. We call on the USDA to release the funds so Americans do not go hungry.”
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said, “Families should never be caught in the crossfire of government dysfunction. The USDA has the ability — and the obligation — to act. Right now, more than 60,000 Westchester residents are facing the very real possibility of going hungry because of bureaucratic inaction. SNAP isn’t a luxury — it’s a lifeline. We’re calling on the federal government to do what’s right, use the contingency funds that exist for this very reason, and protect the people who need this support most.”
Senator Pete Harckham said, “Protecting SNAP is not about policy; it is a moral issue about fighting hunger. If Trump won’t invest in our safety net, children and seniors will pay the price. Food banks, hospitals, and community programs will be stretched to breaking point as families are left with nowhere else to turn. In the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one should go hungry, and no elected leader should ever call that acceptable.”
Senator Jamaal T. Bailey said, “The federal government’s failure to ensure continued SNAP funding during this shutdown is unconscionable. Thousands of families across New York, and millions across the country, depend on these benefits to put food on the table, especially with the holiday season around the corner. No family, senior, or child should have to wonder how they will eat because of the neglect shown by the departments made to protect them. I stand united with County Executive Ken Jenkins and NYS Senator Shelley B. Mayer in demanding that the USDA act immediately to restore these critical funds and protect our most vulnerable.”
Assembly Member Chris Burdick said, “The first responsibility of government is the safety and health of its people. It is unconscionable that the United States government would withhold SNAP benefits, money for food, from those most in need. I applaud our state’s Governor and Attorney General for doing all they can to protect New York’s residents from this incredible cruelty, perpetrated by the Trump Administration. The funds are there. The cruelty is the point. And that is unacceptable.”
Assemblyman Steve Otis said, “The intentional cruelty of the Trump Administration’s cutoff of SNAP funds provides another example of their disregard of the challenges of American families in need. SNAP provides individual assistance to $42 million Americans nationwide for purchasing food. Elimination of this assistance will crush our already overloaded food banks and feeding programs by forcing individuals in need to use those programs rather than buying food at local stores. The USDA has funds to maintain payments but has chosen human suffering over caring for American families.”
Assembly Member Dana Levenberg said, “Here in New York, I am proud that our state government is acting quickly to support New Yorkers who will be impacted by Washington’s completely unnecessary decision to starve needy American citizens. I applaud Governor Hochul’s decision to fast-track millions of dollars in emergency food aid. However, it is incumbent on our federal leaders to get their priorities straight immediately and use the tax dollars we send them in ways that benefit all of society, not just President Trump and his friends.
“President Trump, his administration, and his allies in Congress have all the power they need right now to keep Americans fed. That they are choosing not to demonstrate their complete and utter lack of decency and compassion. There is no good reason to allow anyone to starve; the fact that Trump and his MAGA Congress are doing so because the government is shut down over their refusal to lower health care costs makes this self-imposed crisis even more insane. MAGA politicians should want to do what’s right for Americans – unless the first ‘A’ in MAGA now stands for ‘Argentina.’ Americans can see what is being funded right now and what is not, and no amount of spin will confuse them about who Trump and his cronies really care about.”
Assemblywoman Amy Paulin said, “The USDA’s failure to maintain SNAP funding is unconscionable and will have devastating consequences for thousands of families in our community who depend on this vital program to put food on their tables. We cannot stand by while 42 million Americans, including many here in Westchester, face the prospect of going hungry.”
Assemblyman Nader Sayegh said, “SNAP means food on the table for millions of American families including many in our Westchester community. The USDA’s failure to act- to use contingency funds and keep this vital program going- is a moral failure. No family should face an empty table during the holidays because of the federal government’s neglect.”
County Legislator Jewel Williams Johnson said, “As Chair of the Westchester County Board of Legislators’ Health Subcommittee, I am deeply concerned about the well-being of children and families in Westchester County. Despite our reputation for affluence, one in ten Westchester residents—and nearly one in seven children—live below the poverty line. I see these struggles up close in my own District 8, where working families are doing everything right, yet still find themselves one unexpected expense away from an empty refrigerator.
“According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the recent federal cuts to SNAP threaten to undermine one of the most effective tools we have for preventing hunger, reducing poverty, and protecting long-term health. We cannot—and must not—accept a future where children go to school hungry or parents must choose between rent and groceries.
“I am calling on our federal government to fully restore SNAP funding—and if necessary, immediately access contingency or reserve funds—to ensure that no child or family in need is left behind. Because when we deny families the basics of nutrition, we erode the very foundation of our communities. A hungry child cannot learn. A hungry parent cannot thrive. And a hungry county cannot truly prosper. Let us act with urgency and compassion—restore the resources, uphold our promise, and protect every family.”
County Legislator Nancy Barr, Chair of the Board of Legislators Human Services Committee said, “It is both irresponsible and bad government to hold back funding from individuals who need SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families. In addition to starving people, the lack of funding will hurt businesses that rely on people being able to use SNAP benefits to pay for food at those establishments. Farmers and food manufacturers will also be impacted.”
County Legislator Erika Pierce said, “In every other government shutdown that I am aware of, our Federal Government has protected SNAP recipients, making certain that our most vulnerable residents do not go hungry. This time, they are refusing to do so. Consequently, we are facing a manufactured crisis of horrendous proportions, which will not only have humanitarian impacts, but economic ones as well. Seniors and children both will go to bed with empty stomachs. Local businesses will be harmed. And with our food pantries already reeling from federal cuts, they will not be able to fill this void. This administration needs to choose differently.”
County Legislator David Imamura said, “It is absolutely unacceptable that Donald Trump is using human suffering as a bargaining tool in the government shutdown negotiations. Washington needs to release SNAP funding and should do it today.”
County Legislator Judah Holstein said, “It is disappointing and dangerous for Washington to withhold food from those in need just to play the blame game over the shutdown. Grocery costs are through the roof, and unemployment has climbed to its highest level in years. Families are already stretched to the breaking point. The USDA has contingency funds that could keep SNAP benefits flowing but refuses to use them. That money was meant for emergencies, and there is no bigger emergency than millions of Americans going hungry because of Washington gridlock.
“If we can find contingency money to buy $172 million luxury jets for DHS appointees and build an East Wing ballroom, then we can find the will to put food onto the tables of families who desperately need it. We can’t turn our backs on them now. If we can fund jets and ballrooms, we can feed families. We must put people before politics and protect SNAP funding.”
County Legislator Shanae Williams said, “Access to food assistance should never be delayed, especially during a government shutdown.”
The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance recommends New Yorker continue to complete all SNAP requirements including recertifications, periodic reports, and reporting changes. SNAP applications will continue to be accepted, though not approved until the federal shutdown ends. New applicants can apply for SNAP or Public Assistance at their local department of social services, or online at mybenefits.ny.gov.
You can watch the press conference here.
Photos from the press conference can be found here. |
