NY Lawmakers Call on Gov. Hochul to Cover SNAP Food Benefits with Surplus Funds

New York state lawmakers from across the political spectrum said Gov. Kathy Hochul should be prepared to pick up the full tab for food assistance benefits that are in limbo due to the federal government shutdown.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits for nearly 3 million New Yorkers expired Saturday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it wouldn’t refill recipients’ benefit cards. But in response to litigation by New York and other states, two federal judges ruled Friday that the benefits should be paid with federal contingency funds so low-income people can continue to buy groceries.

The USDA is set to provide a status update on the issue Monday. The rulings at least temporarily relieve pressure on Hochul, a Democrat, to open the state’s checkbook to cover the pause in federal food aid, though dozens of state lawmakers wrote in letters to her that New York should step up.

“We can solve this at least temporarily, more wholeheartedly and more holistically,” said state Sen. Jake Ashby, a Republican from Rensselaer County whose letter was signed by both Republicans and Democrats. “Many of these people out there need our help, and we have the ability to do that.”

Ashby said Monday it still wasn’t clear how much of the food benefits for November would be covered after the court orders. He said any lag in payments could have been avoided if the state was more proactive.

Hochul last week announced $106 million in emergency grants to food banks and pantries. She also directed students who participate in a state-backed community service program to help with emergency food distribution to meet an expected surge of demand.

But the governor also said the state wasn’t able to pay for all SNAP benefits, estimated at roughly $650 million a month. Hochul said the federal program is funded by New Yorkers’ taxes and is a federal responsibility.

“No state can backfill this,” she said Thursday. “The pressure needs to be on the cause of this, which are the Republicans in Washington. Full stop.”

Several other states said they would backfill the program. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, announced a new program to pay SNAP recipients weekly that will draw on state surplus funds. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, another Republican, announced plans to fund benefits for 15 days.

Strong performance on Wall Street has led to better-than-expected tax collections for New York’s coffers over the last several months. The state Division of the Budget estimated it would collect an additional $2.6 billion in revenue in the current budget year — enough to cover higher administrative costs associated with the massive tax-and-spending bill President Donald Trump signed in July.

State Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, a Queens Democrat, joined a rally of progressive groups Friday calling for New York to draw on its surplus to fully fund the food benefits. They said there’s enough money in state reserve funds and from the higher-than-expected tax collections to absorb the federal hit and pay for the benefits. The rally touted a letter to Hochul and state legislative leaders signed by more than 250 labor and progressive groups.

“There’s still a lot of challenges with New Yorkers accessing those pantries,” Gonzalez-Rojas said, adding that the SNAP program supports local stores.

She said she hoped the recent court orders would be sufficient to cover the program’s costs, but state funds should be used to “ensure that New Yorkers who depend on SNAP can continue to eat in the event that the federal government cruelly refused to cover their responsibility to fund the program.”

Gonzalez-Rojas has more than 40 signatories on her own letter to Hochul. Ashby’s letter is signed by Republicans and Democrats, including state Sen. Julia Salazar of Brooklyn and James Sanders of Queens.

Still, state lawmakers assigned blame for the lapse in payments to different parties.

SNAP benefits have continued being paid out during previous government shutdowns. Democrats said Republicans reneged on plans to use federal contingency funds to keep the program functioning in the current shutdown.

“This is squarely on Trump and the Republican members of Congress,” Gonzalez-Rojas said. “This is such a cruel and unnecessary crisis we’re facing right before the holidays.”

Republicans said Democrats in the U.S. Senate should vote for a budget measure known as a continuing resolution that would reopen the government and fund SNAP.

Democrats have refused to do so unless Republicans extend health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. Congress has remained at an impasse for more than a month.

Ashby, the Rensselaer County Republican, said he was heartened to be in sync with his colleagues across New York.

“I think this is an issue worth coming out for in a bipartisan way,” he said.

Story by Jimmy Vielkind/New York Public News Network

Image Credit: USDA