Kathy Hochul orders state of emergency over pause in SNAP benefits due to Dem-backed gov shutdown

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency as millions of residents are set to lose food assistance on November 1 due to the ongoing federal shutdown. Hochul has blamed Republicans for the loss of funding as Democrats in Congress continue to block clean resolutions that would return funding to the government.

Hochul announced on Thursday $65 million in emergency state funding for programs that provide emergency food assistance to New Yorkers. In a press release, Hochul said, "The Trump Administration is cutting food assistance off for three million New Yorkers, leaving our state to face an unprecedented public health crisis and hurting our grocers, bodegas and farmers along the way. Unlike Washington Republicans, I won’t sit idly by as families struggle to put food on the table. Today, I’m declaring a state of emergency and am committing additional state funds for emergency food assistance to ensure New Yorkers don’t go hungry. Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have the power to stop this crisis — millions of families depend on it."

“I am doing everything in my power to soften the blow of the destruction Republicans in Washington are inflicting on our state,” Hochul said in a statement on Monday.

The shutdown, now in its 30th day, has created a nationwide crisis for the 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP benefits.

The US Department of Agriculture confirmed that contingency funds have run out, marking the first time in US history that food assistance has been disrupted during a government shutdown. Roughly three million New Yorkers, including nearly 800,000 seniors and one million children, could lose benefits worth around $650 million a month.

The Trump administration said it would not reallocate funding to cover November’s payments, saying that doing so would take money away from other programs like school meals and infant formula grants. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters the decision was based on legal constraints rather than politics.

“It looks legitimate to me that the contingency funds are not legally available to cover the benefits right now,” Johnson told reporters. “If they transferred funds from other sources, it would pull it away immediately from school meals and infant formula. It’s a tradeoff.”

Democrats have accused Republicans of putting political theater over families. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand claimed in a press release that the GOP’s refusal to work across the aisle “needlessly shut down the government” and left millions at risk of going hungry.

Other states are taking action ahead of funds running out. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has deployed the National Guard to help food banks, while Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said he plans to declare a state of emergency to protect residents from losing benefits.

Hochul’s office said the emergency aid is a temporary measure to “ensure New Yorkers do not go hungry” while federal negotiations continue.