For the past 29 days, the United States government has been shut down amid an impasse between Democrats and republicans on how the funding of the government should progress. As a result of this shutdown lasting for nearly a full month now, the second longest in American history, multiple federal services have been put on hold.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been running through this shutdown, but funds are set to run out this weekend with no plans for further funding. In New York, in 2023, around 1.25 million people received the benefits of the program, and that number has only risen over time. Without funding for SNAP, these citizens will be without the essential aid that they need to survive and avoid poverty.
Due to how many citizens rely on this service, the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, has decided to declare a state of emergency today. As part of this declaration, Hochul has committed $65 million in state funds to provide food assistance to the food bank networks of New York, providing millions of meals to the in-need citizens.
Governor Kathy Hochul had this to say regarding the situation, “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,” She continues, “Unlike Washington Republicans, I won’t sit idly by as families struggle to put food on the table.
This government shutdown has done nothing but hurt the citizens of the United States because of the disagreements between legislators. If the situation is not resolved soon, millions may suffer irreversible damage to their health and financial situation and may lose their primary sources of income.
