New York is stepping in to make sure families in need are fed during the government shutdown.
Around 3 million New Yorkers risk losing SNAP benefits in November due to the ongoing shutdown, which is now in its fifth week.
Hochul announced another $30 million in emergency food assistance to those families, in addition to $11 million announced Friday, for a total of $41 million.
“Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins doesn’t seem to give a damn that we have over 3 million New Yorkers who could go hungry during the month of Thanksgiving,” said Hochul, who said she wrote to Rollins asking for a solution. “She says there’s nothing she can do. I’m not buying it.”
Hochul said she’s also concerned federal legislation from what President Donald Trump calls the “Big, Beautiful Bill” would cause 300,000 people to permanently lose critical food and heating assistance, in addition to health care. Hochul referred to it as the “Big, Ugly Bill.”
“It’ll kick nearly 2 million New Yorkers off their health insurance,” said Hochul. “Also 140,000 New Yorkers will face a 40% hike in their affordable care premiums.”
She says there are seven New York lawmakers who can help change this.
“Any one of them, or a couple of them could walk into Speaker Johnson’s office and say, ‘I thought about this. I just can’t do that. I cannot do that to the people who put me in office. I can’t unleash that much pain on families in my state.’ But they’re all a bunch of cowards. None of them have done that. They still have a chance,” said Hochul.
Hochul said the funds to help New York State families will be fast tracked.
“It’ll help keep food pantries stocked and little kids’ tummies fed,” she said.
Meanwhile, she had this message for lawmakers in Washington.
“All we’re saying is just unfreeze the SNAP funding. You can do this. Get back to work. Stop the shutdown. Stop taking away health care, stop taking away food,” said Hochul.