NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Thursday over the expected federal freeze on funding for SNAP food benefits that would impact millions of New York residents.
The Trump administration has said the federal government won’t fund the SNAP federal food aid program for low-income households in November because of the prolonged federal shutdown. The move could leave about 1 in 8 Americans scrambling to pay for food.
Hochul said she’s committing the funds to “ensure New Yorkers don’t go hungry” as federally funded SNAP benefits distributed by the state to some 3 million New Yorkers run dry.
The governor said she was committing an additional $65 million in new state funds for emergency food assistance. The money includes $40 million in new funding for the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program and $25 million in new funding for Nourish NY.
“The Trump Administration is cutting food assistance off for 3 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.
New York is among several states now launching programs to help families pay for food. The federal government says the states won’t be reimbursed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.