LiveOn NY calls on federal government to release contingency funds to fully fund SNAP

New York, NY – Currently, SNAP benefits will not be available for New Yorkers on November 1st due to the federal shutdown. No solution has been proposed to fully guarantee that funds will be available for the 3 million New Yorkers, 21% of whom are age 60 or older, who rely on SNAP for their daily meals. While the state of New York has appropriately declared a state of emergency, advancing over $100 million to fund parallel food assistance programs and distributing food to children at school, many older New Yorkers will have to make untenable decisions to afford their food. LiveOn NY issued the following statement:

“It is outrageous that 3 million New Yorkers’ meals – which have already been paid for – are being withheld as part of the political brinksmanship going on in the Capitol,” said Allison Nickerson, Executive Director at LiveOn NY. “These are not intellectual concerns or soundbites for TV. We’re talking about older and marginalized New Yorkers who are going to have to choose between meals and rent. This cannot continue, and federal officials must release contingency funds to ensure that we have the meals we need.”

LiveOn NY is advocating for federal, state and city officials to:

Immediately release the $5-6 billion in SNAP contingency funds to New York State to ensure that a larger portion of November benefits can be funded.
Transfer additional funds to cover the remainder of the $2-3 billion shortfall, following the precedent set in October to fund WIC benefits.
Fully fund and utilize the aging service system to ensure that senior center meals and home-delivered meals are available to older New Yorkers who need them.

Here are resources for older New Yorkers and advocates:

NYC Food maps:

NYS Federal Cuts Resources: ny.gov/FoodAssistance
NYC Official Food Finder: Map
Food Bank for NYC: NYC Food Map
NY Common Pantry: Pantries in Harlem and the Bronx
City Harvest: NYC Food Map

The latest on SNAP:

NYC OTDA: State Updates to SNAP
NYC HRA: City Updates to SNAP
Hunger Free America Letter: Protect SNAP During the Federal Shutdown
Hunger Solutions NY: Toolkit: SNAP 10/1/25 Changes

Relevant news articles:

NY State: Gov. Hochul Declares State of Emergency, over $100M in State Funds
Reuters: Senator Schumer sees US shutdown stretching into November
Gothamist: NY attorney general sues Trump administration to resume SNAP payouts

LiveOn NY’s Age Strong campaign is continuing its advocacy for New Yorkers at the state and city level, calling for bold investments in affordable housing, food and nutrition, and community infrastructure to allow New Yorkers to age in dignity.

LiveOn NY will continue to monitor the situation to keep providers and advocates informed as details emerge. More information on LiveOn NY can be found at our website: www.liveon-ny.org/.

If you would like more information, please contact Frank Shintaro McMullin, Communications Specialist at LiveOn NY, at fmcmullin@liveon-ny.org or at (408) 620-0694.