New York state has declared a state of emergency, and state and local officials are scrambling to help residents who are at risk of losing benefits.
Millions of people in the United States who rely on nutrition assistance programs are facing uncertainty as food aid is set to expire on Saturday as the government shutdown continues.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a state of emergency Thursday and, like officials in other states and cities, tapped local funds to fill the gap.
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“I am declaring a state of emergency to use every means possible to help the 3 million New Yorkers who are losing food assistance due to the Republican shutdown,” Hochul said in a social media post.
Rhode Island, Virginia and New Mexico have also declared states of emergency in recent days to deal with the crisis.
Federal services often face complications or interruptions during government shutdowns, but the Trump administration’s decision to completely suspend food benefits starting Nov. 1 is unusual.
The federal government has never before frozen funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.
Democrats have accused the White House of politicizing food aid to pressure politicians to align with President Trump’s priorities.
Twenty-five Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit seeking to continue funding SNAP, and a hearing was held Thursday in federal court in Massachusetts.
“The suspension of SNAP benefits will leave the nutritional needs of millions of school-age children in Plaintiff states unmet,” the plaintiffs said in their filing.
They also argued that grocery stores and other retailers working with food assistance programs would be negatively affected.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani indicated she plans to issue a ruling later that day.
Mr Talwani also said that rather than cutting benefits completely, the government should instead find “ways to reduce benefits in an equitable way”.
Approximately 42 million people, or one in eight Americans, rely on federal nutrition assistance, which is a key part of the nation’s anti-poverty efforts.
SNAP costs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) about $8 billion a month to administer, and the agency has previously drawn from reserves to continue providing food assistance.
But this time, the Trump administration claims it cannot access those funds as part of the government shutdown, sparking a standoff between Democrats and Republicans.
The two countries were at an impasse over whether to negotiate to expand access to health care, and were unable to pass a budget bill by the September 30 deadline.
The USDA then announced on October 26 that it would cut off SNAP funds, citing Democrats’ failure to fund the government.
“The bottom line is the wells are dry,” the USDA said in a statement on its website. “At this time, there are no benefits to be issued on November 1st. We are nearing a tipping point for Senate Democrats.”
The announcement sent state and local officials scrambling to find ways to help residents who may struggle to access food. Nonprofit food pantries and other services are also preparing for increased demand.
Civil society organizations have expressed particular alarm at the impact that benefit cuts could have on vulnerable groups such as children and the poor.
“As the government shutdown continues, the U.S. bishops are deeply concerned about the potential disruption of critical programs that support the common good, such as SNAP,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement.
“This is devastating for the families and individuals who rely on SNAP to put food on the table, and the burden of this shutdown will fall heaviest on our nation’s poor and vulnerable who are least able to come forward.”
