Nearly 1.8 million New York City residents could be left without food assistance this week, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed it will suspend the delivery of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits starting Nov. 1, citing a lack of federal funding during the current government shutdown.
The potential impact would affect all congressional districts. State data shows that more than 1.8 million New Yorkers rely on SNAP, including 272,857 residents of the Bronx’s 15th District, the highest number in the state. They are followed by Brooklyn’s District 8, with 201,200 beneficiaries, and Manhattan’s District 13, which covers Harlem and Upper Manhattan, with 220,555 people registered.
Other districts with significant numbers include District 9 of Central Brooklyn (171,678), District 14 of Queens and the Bronx (159,636), and District 7, which covers parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan (146,306).
Even districts with fewer beneficiaries, such as District 3 (28,015) and District 12 (40,337), represent tens of thousands of households that now do not know how they will be able to buy food next week.
The USDA declared Monday that “the well has run dry,” blaming Senate Democrats for the budget impasse in Washington that has extended the government shutdown to 27 days.
“At this time, no benefits will be issued on November 1,” the agency said in a statement that included false claims about Democrats’ supposed prioritization of health care for undocumented people.
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federal health programs, and the Democratic proposal does not seek to change that policy.
Democratic senators have so far refused to support a spending plan as they push to renew Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, which expire at the end of the year. If those credits expire, low- and middle-income families will face increases of thousands of dollars in health insurance premiums.
The Senate will vote again this week on a House-approved plan to reopen the government, after rejecting the continuity resolution 12 times.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticized President Trump on Monday, accusing him of creating a hunger crisis instead of cooperating to end the government shutdown.
Schumer noted that the administration quickly sent $40 billion to Argentina to support Trump ally Javier Milei while denying food assistance to struggling American families, calling the action “audacious and inhumane.”
New York injects funds into food banks
To mitigate the crisis, Governor Kathy Hochul announced $30 million in state emergency funding to support approximately 16 million meals statewide, in addition to the $11 million in food bank aid approved last week.
“While I have repeatedly said that no state can replace these devastating cuts, I am committed to ensuring that no New Yorker goes hungry this holiday season,” Hochul declared at a rally in Harlem.
Because SNAP is a federal program, states cannot substitute funds without federal authorization.
Hochul also launched the ny.gov/federalcuts website for residents to share how the funding freeze affects them. Statewide, nearly 3 million people could be affected.
The governor asked Congress to reopen the government immediately or authorize emergency funds to guarantee the delivery of November benefits.
“All we ask is to unfreeze SNAP funds. You can do it. Go back to work. End the shutdown. Stop taking away people’s health and food. Start taking care of the American people,” he said.
State Sen. James Sanders of Queens called on Hochul to call an emergency legislative session to expand the state’s response.
“No one should go hungry because of the dysfunction in Washington,” he said. “The Trump administration’s refusal to release these essential funds is not only irresponsible, it is an attack on basic human decency. We cannot wait while millions of New Yorkers face empty plates and growing fear.”
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request about a possible special session; State legislators will resume activities in January.
“A true hunger crisis”
On Monday, the Legal Aid Society filed a class-action lawsuit against another USDA decision to prematurely end a waiver that protects about 100,000 NYC beneficiaries—adults without dependents considered “able to work” (ABAWDs)—from meeting strict work requirements.
“Millions of New Yorkers rely on SNAP each month to keep food on the table, including seniors, people with disabilities, children and working families. SNAP is essential to keeping our communities safe, fed and strong,” said Adriene Holder, Senior Attorney in Legal Aid’s Civil Division.
Holder called on the USDA to immediately release federal contingency funds needed to allow states, including New York, to issue November benefits.
The lawsuit contends that the agency acted illegally by eliminating the exemption months before it expired in February 2026, forcing the city to accelerate its implementation and risking massive loss of benefits.
“Eliminating the ABAWD exemption early is not only illegal, but unnecessarily cruel in a time of historic costs,” said Laboni Rahman, an attorney with Legal Aid’s Civil Law Reform Unit.
“The hasty implementation of this work requirement will create confusion and administrative chaos, leaving more New Yorkers without the minimum benefits that separate them from hunger.”
For her part, Helen Strom, director of the Homeless Benefits and Advocacy Unit at the Urban Justice Center, warned that the new rules impose an impossible deadline, and that “the tens of thousands of people calling the city about the new work requirements will only further overwhelm” the already overloaded SNAP offices.
“SNAP recipients in NYC already face hours-long waits on understaffed phone lines or in crowded offices just to keep their benefits,” Strom added. “The increase in calls will only make the situation worse, and many will not even be able to get through.”
At the local level, Legal Aid indicated that Human Resources Administration officials are preparing against the clock to face potential funding gaps, while shouldering “enormous administrative pressures” resulting from the USDA decision.
Advocates warn that even with $41 million in emergency state aid, food banks and community pantries will quickly be overwhelmed if the federal government stops SNAP payments.
“We face a true hunger crisis in New York City, with 1.8 million people at risk of losing their November benefits and tens of thousands more at risk of losing them indefinitely due to ABAWD cuts.”
