The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will not use any of its $6 billion contingency fund to cover food stamp benefits in November should the government shutdown persist, waving off requests from state leaders, including New York Gov. Hochul, who warned that millions of New Yorkers could go hungry ahead of the holiday season.
In a letter penned to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Hochul called on her to use every authority at her disposal to ensure New Yorkers who rely on those benefits — most of them older adults, children and people with disabilities — don’t lose access to the critical assistance they need.
“Federal statute authorizes the use of contingency funds to provide SNAP benefits in emergencies,” Hochul wrote. “No New Yorker should go hungry when a legal and funded remedy is available.”
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — also referred to as SNAP or food stamps — is funded by the USDA and provides “benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being.”
According to the USDA, an average of roughly 42 million Americans receive benefits each month, but they now face uncertainty come Nov. 1 unless the agency changes its position.
In a memo reviewed by the Daily News, the USDA declined to cover food stamps next month, claiming that “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits.” They’re only to be used for true emergencies “like hurricanes, tornadoes and floods, that can come on quickly and without notice,” the agency said.
However, Democratic lawmakers like Hochul have argued the USDA has a “moral obligation to our country” to use the contingency fund to pay November benefits. She specifically accused President Trump of failing the 2.8 million people in his home state who are poised to lose their food aid assistance if the shutdown continues.
Amid the standoff, Hochul on Friday announced $11 million in state funding to be used for emergency food relief programs, including for Local Emergency Food Relief Equipment grants and Feeding New York State.
The government shutdown kicked off Oct. 1 and is already the second-longest in U.S. history, with no resolution in sight.
At the root of the gridlock is an argument over if and when lawmakers need to act to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Some 24 million people who don’t have insurance through their jobs or a program like Medicaid use the system to buy health plans.
The Senate most recently adjourned on Thursday and won’t resume session until Monday afternoon. While Republicans currently control both the House and the Senate, they’ve yet to reach the votes necessary in the Senate to pass a spending package.
With both Republicans and Democrats remaining deeply entrenched in their positions — and blaming each other for the mess — lawmakers are predicting the shutdown could become the longest on record, surpassing the 35 days from Trump’s first term.
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