NY SNAP Benefits Won't Go Out In November, Officials Confirm

NEW YORK — New York residents who receive federal food aid won’t get their November benefits as the ongoing federal shutdown continues, The Department of Agriculture has announced.

The Department of Agriculture posted a notice on its website after the Trump administration said it would not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November. That program helps about one in eight Americans buy groceries.

"Bottom line, the well has run dry," the USDA notice says. "At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats."

Nationally, more than 62 percent of nearly 41.7 million SNAP participants are in families with children; 37 percent are in families with members who are older adults or disabled; and more than 38 percent are in working families, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The analysis of USDA Food and Nutrition Service data by the non-partisan research group that focuses on federal and state policies to reduce poverty and inequality also shows that 2,926,200 New York residents receive SNAP benefits.

That’s 15 percent of the state population (1 in 7) who depend on benefits to keep food on the table.

According to the data, more than 52 percent of the SNAP benefit recipients are in families with children, and more than 46 percent of the recipients are in families with older adults or are disabled.

The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, is now the second-longest on record. While the Republican administration took steps leading up to the shutdown to ensure SNAP benefits were paid this month, the cutoff would expand the impact of the impasse to a wider swath of Americans — and some of those most in need — unless a political resolution is found in just a few days.

The prospect of families not receiving food aid has deeply concerned states run by both parties.

Officials in Louisiana, Vermont and Virginia pledged to keep food aid flowing to recipients in their states, even if the federal program is stalled next month because of the government shutdown.

Other states’ attempts to use their own funds to support the program have faced technical hurdles, and it's uncertain if the three new plans can overcome these.

The notice from the federal agency blames Democrats for the shutdown, but New York Governor Kathy Hochul says Republicans are the ones to blame.

"My message to Washington Republicans is simple: Unfreeze our food assistance funding, go back to the negotiating table, and re-open the government," Hochul said on X (formerly Twitter).

On Monday, Hochul said she is fast-tracking $30 million in state funds to support more than 16 million meals.

Learn more about impacts to SNAP benefits in New York here.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.