New York’s House Members Must Reject Cuts to SNAP
Today, the United States Senate passed a budget reconciliation bill poised to cut more than $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), worsening food insecurity and threatening the sustainability of our nation’s largest and most effective anti-hunger program.
2.9 million New Yorkers rely on SNAP to put food on the table. Thirty percent of New York’s SNAP participants are children, and thirty-one percent are seniors or people with disabilities.
“SNAP works. It alleviates hunger, supports public health, and ensures our children, seniors, and working families have the food they need,” said Andrés Vives, Chief Executive Officer of Hunger Solutions New York. “Cutting SNAP at any time is unacceptable, but it is particularly cruel when New Yorkers are already struggling with rising costs, and food banks and nonprofits are reeling from federal cuts. By shifting program costs to the states and expanding harsh time limits, this budget reconciliation will worsen food insecurity, increase healthcare costs, and reduce access to child nutrition programs that support the well-being of our youngest New Yorkers.”
Since the program’s creation, the federal government has fully funded the cost of SNAP benefits, while states cover half of the program’s administrative costs. Under the Senate-passed reconciliation, New York would now be responsible for more than $1 billion annually in SNAP benefit costs, and federal funds for administration would be cut in half. Combined, the state would need to fill a $2.1 billion funding shortfall, likely forcing cuts to other state investments, reductions in SNAP benefits or eligibility, or tax increases to balance the budget.
The budget reconciliation also expands harsh and ineffective work reporting requirements to older adults and adults with school-aged children while removing exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and those aging out of foster care. Work reporting requirements place a strict time limit on access to food assistance; those subject to the requirements can only receive SNAP benefits for three months in a three-year period if they are unable to document sufficient work hours. In New York alone, expanding the work reporting requirements would put more than 300,000 individuals at risk of losing some or all of their household’s SNAP benefits. Research shows work requirements are not effective; they do not lead to improved employment outcomes, and simply take food away from people struggling with unemployment, volatile hours, or seasonal labor market fluctuations.
The reconciliation would also end SNAP eligibility for 25,000 refugees, asylees, and other immigrants lawfully residing in New York. Undocumented immigrants are already ineligible for SNAP, and many lawfully present immigrants must wait years before applying. The bill further limits access, excluding certain victims of labor or sex trafficking and domestic violence, and other immigrants with a lawful status.
The reconciliation bill also reduces SNAP benefit amounts by artificially limiting updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, the basis of SNAP allotments, and limiting utility deductions considered in a household’s SNAP budget. As a result, more New Yorkers would run out of food before the end of the month.
SNAP is an important revenue source for more than 17,000 retailers in New York, including hundreds of farmers’ markets. Every $1 in SNAP benefits generates up to $1.80 in economic impact during economic downturns. In New York, SNAP brings approximately $650 million into local economies each month. Cuts to SNAP harm all New Yorkers.
As the bill returns to the House, New York’s representatives have the chance to stop these cuts. “Until the reconciliation is signed into law, there is still time to save SNAP from these disastrous cuts,” continued Vives. “SNAP is a lifeline for millions of New Yorkers who need their representatives to stand firm. New York’s delegation must reject any cuts to SNAP and instead work to improve food security for our communities.”
