Governor Kathy Hochul also allocated another $40 million in new funding for various state food aid programs, bringing the total to $106 million.
Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday declared a state of emergency as the Trump administration readies to cut off food aid to millions of New Yorkers on Nov. 1.
The governor said the state will allocate an additional $65 million in state funds for emergency food assistance to reinforce New York’s network of food bank and pantry partners. The state has now allocated about $106 million for various food aid programs, Hochul said.
The declaration of the state of emergency enables the governor to take additional actions as needed.
The governor said $40million of the new funding will go to the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides emergency food relief and nutrition services to food-insecure populations. HPNAP works in partnership with a network of about 2,700 Emergency Food Providers (EFPs), including food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters.
Nourish NY, which supplies surplus agricultural products (e.g., milk, apples, cheese, yogurt, cabbage, squash) to populations who need them through the state’s network of food relief organizations (i.e., regional food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens, and community-based organizations that provide food for free to persons experiencing food insecurity) will receive $25 million.
The governor is also deploying Empire State Service Corps and SUNY Corps Members to support local food banks during this emergency period of increased need, and continuing to explore food hubs at schools.
“The Trump Administration is cutting food assistance off for three million New Yorkers, leaving our state to face an unprecedented public health crisis and hurting our grocers, bodegas and farmers along the way,” Hochul said in a statement. “Unlike Washington Republicans, I won’t sit idly by as families struggle to put food on the table. Today, I’m declaring a state of emergency and am committing additional state funds for emergency food assistance to ensure New Yorkers don’t go hungry. Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have the power to stop this crisis — millions of families depend on it.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James and 24 other state leaders and the District of Columbia on Tuesday sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for suspending Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The coalition argued that the administration’s refusal to issue November SNAP payments violates federal law because the USDA is legally required to continue providing benefits as long as it has funding. The USDA has access to at least $6 billion in contingency funds appropriated by Congress for exactly this purpose, the coalition said.
U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries urged President Donald Trump and Washington Republicans to immediately their decision.
“Their latest attempt to rip food out of the mouths of children, seniors and veterans who have served our country honorably is a disgusting dereliction of duty and makes clear that the cruelty is the point,” Jeffries said. “Instead of finding money to pay off wannabe dictators in Argentina, Donald Trump should use the money that was appropriated by Congress to make sure that 42 million Americans do not go hungry and lose their SNAP benefits.”