Despite New York State (NYS) Attorney General Letitia James and others waging a serious legal fight, there will likely be a delay in food assistance for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients because of the month-long government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history, ahead of this holiday season.
About 42 million people nationwide rely on SNAP benefits. New York state has about 2.9 million people utilizing SNAP benefits, with 1.8 million of those in New York City. Most are older adults, children, or people with disabilities experiencing food insecurity. In response to a potential food crisis, the state committed $65 million in additional emergency food funds as well as volunteer staffing to support food banks and pantries.
“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,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul in a statement. “Unlike Washington Republicans, I won’t sit idly by as families struggle to put food on the table.”
The government shutdown began on Oct. 1, as the result of a stalemate between Democrats and Republicans over healthcare and Medicaid cuts. James and a coalition of 25 other attorneys general sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last month, demanding they dole out November SNAP benefits. By Oct. 31, a Massachusetts court held that USDA’s suspension of SNAP violated federal law and that the agency is required to use its more than $6 billion in contingency funds during the shutdown.
“SNAP is one of our nation’s most effective tools to fight hunger, and the USDA has the money to keep it running. There is no excuse for this administration to abandon families who rely on SNAP, or food stamps, as a lifeline,” said James in a statement.
In the meantime, many city and state elected officials have opted to highlight local food pantries and non-profits for food assistance.
“I stopped by the Brooklyn Christian Fellowship Seventh-day Adventist Church to volunteer during a food service and talk to New Yorkers about our efforts to stop the SNAP suspension. Millions of Americans rely on food stamps to survive,” posted James after visiting a soup kitchen on Nov. 3. “We’ll keep fighting for our families.”
Additionally, the 2026 City Council budget expanded emergency food support, including $15 million for emergency food programs across all five boroughs and $57 million for the Community Food Connection program at the Human Resources Administration (HRA).
“This is not a political dispute; it’s a human crisis,” said Councilmember Yusef Salaam in a statement. “Millions of families depend on SNAP to survive. With benefits suspended, they face impossible choices about how to feed their children and elders. The federal government must release contingency funds immediately to prevent widespread hunger.”
Salaam’s district office allocated $126,000 to help organizations access food and an additional $125,000 for the Council’s Food Pantry Initiative. “Our office will continue coordinating with local partners to make sure residents know where to find food and assistance,” said Salaam in a statement. “But stopgap measures are not a substitute for the federal responsibility to ensure no one in this country goes hungry.”
SNAP TIPS & RESOURCES:
- NYS residents can still use any remaining Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) funds from October or previous months. The existing balances remain valid during the shutdown. Benefits do not expire for 12 months, but no new SNAP payments will be loaded until the federal government takes action. It’s advised to continue with recertifications and periodic reports to stay eligible for benefits.
- SNAP recipients will be notified about the status of their November benefits by the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) through the website, NYC ACCESS HRA, myBenefits, or the ebtEDGE app.
- Those in need of immediate food assistance can use the City Harvest Map, the NYC Food Finder, or Food Bank for NYC Food Map to find food pantries and free meals. You can also call 311 to find nearby food pantries or soup kitchens.