SCHUMER - WITH WESTERN NY RELIGIOUS LEADERS & FOOD BANKS - SOUNDS ALARM THAT UNDER GOP PLAN TO CUT SNAP - AMERICA’S LARGEST ANTI-HUNGER PROGRAM - THOUSANDS OF KIDS, SENIORS, & FAMILIES COULD GO WITHOUT FOOD; SENATOR SAYS WE MUST UNITE TO PROTECT SNAP AND DEMANDS NY REPUBLICANS BLOCK LARGEST SNAP CUT IN HISTORY
Already 8,000 Cases Of Food For FeedMore WNY Have Already Been Canceled Due To Trump’s Cruel USDA Cuts - Now GOP Wants To Steal Up To $230 Billion From SNAP To Fund Trump’s Tax Breaks For Corporations & Billionaires
Schumer, With Church Leaders & Advocates, Say This Double Whammy Could Hurtle Families To A Hunger Crisis, Impacting 208,000+ In WNY, Millions Nationwide; Demands GOP Block Cruel Cut To SNAP And Protect Anti-Hunger Programs
Schumer: No Child Should Go To Bed Hungry. This Is Not A Partisan Issue; This Is A Moral Issue
As Congressional Republicans look to advance the largest potential cut to the anti-hunger program SNAP in American history this week, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer stood with Western NY religious leaders, food banks, & farmers to issue a stark warning and demand action against the devastating proposed $230 billion SNAP cut to fund Trump’s tax cuts for corporations & billionaires, that would leave thousands of seniors, families and children hungry. The senator joined with church leaders and hunger advocates to say how this is a moral issue that we should all unite to stop, and Schumer called on the administration to reverse its hunger program cuts and for the NY House Republicans to stand against stealing from SNAP, which over 208,000 in Western NY rely on for food.
“No child should ever go to bed hungry. But Trump’s slashing of anti-hunger programs at the USDA has already cancelled 8,000 cases of food for FeedMore Western NY. Now, House Republicans are trying to rush through the budget process and make the largest cut to SNAP in history. With food insecurity on the rise, this is a double whammy that could hurtle families to a hunger crisis,” said Senator Schumer. “Stealing from SNAP to pay for Trump’s tax breaks for corporations & billionaires is as backwards as it gets, and will result in thousands of kids, seniors, and families going hungry. It is not a partisan issue, it is a moral issue. That is why I am here to show what these cuts mean for the nuns, priests, and food banks on the frontlines of fighting against hunger. Together we are demanding a stop to this all-out assault on our federal anti-hunger programs and to protect SNAP for our children, veterans, seniors, and families.”
"We need to recognize that food insecurity is not just a problem for someone else—it’s our problem. Catholic Charities of Buffalo, alongside FeedMore WNY and others, is committed to addressing it. But we cannot do it alone and we are grateful for the efforts of Senator Schumer and those of his colleagues who truly understand this problem," said Deacon Steve Schumer, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Buffalo.
Schumer added, “It only takes a few NY House Republicans to join us to stop this cruel cut to SNAP. We need NY Republicans to show us which side they are on with their actions. For feeding corporate & billionaires’ greed or for feeding hungry families here in Western NY. We need them to join us in demanding the USDA reverse all of Trump’s cuts to our farmers, food banks, and anti-hunger programs and keep their hands off SNAP to fund Trump’s tax breaks.”
Schumer explained how Trump’s USDA has already cruelly canceled $1 billion in food assistance, hurting Western New York’s FeedMore WNY, and if these SNAP cuts move forward it would be a double whammy, hurtling us to a hunger crisis. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a lifeline for nearly 3 million NY seniors, veterans and families who rely on the critical funding to purchase groceries. Schumer said that we should be investing more not less in anti-hunger programs, but under the Republican proposal, the average family would be reduced to just $5.00 per day per person. A breakdown of SNAP recipients in Western NY from the Center for American Progress can be found below:
|
County |
SNAP Recipients |
% of County on SNAP |
|
Cattaraugus |
10,959 |
14.4% |
|
Chautauqua |
23,926 |
19.1% |
|
Erie |
147,427 |
15.5% |
|
Niagara |
26,650 |
12.7% |
|
TOTAL |
208,962 |
Schumer explained the Republican proposal to cut up to $230 billion from SNAP would inevitably mean costs of feeding families shift to states, who simply do not have the capacity to absorb this massive increase in expenses, risking families going hungry. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, mandating New York State to cover even a modest share of SNAP benefits would shift astronomical costs to the state with even just 5% increasing New York State’s costs by nearly $3.5 billion from FY2026 to FY2034. The senator said it is impossible to cut this much from federal SNAP funding without ripping food away from hungry children, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and more.
These agonizing decisions would be amplified even further at the local level, with non-profits, many of whom have already had their funding cut, unable to fill in the gap. Counties could even be forced to shoulder the burden of increased costs in SNAP, using more local dollars to provide coverage because less federal funding will be coming in.
According to New York’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, in New York’s 26th Congressional District – which represents parts of Erie and Niagara counties – nearly 77,000 households receive an estimated $337 million in annual benefits. 35% of SNAP recipients are children, 14% are elderly, and 10% are people with disabilities. In New York’s 23rd Congressional District over 51,000 households receive an estimated $200 million in annual benefits. 31% of SNAP recipients are children, 17% are elderly, and 12% are people with disabilities.
Schumer said, “SNAP is a lifeline that helps uplift everyone, from the NY farms who get direct assistance from the program to Western NY families’ kitchen tables. NY Republicans are tying themselves in knots to try to justify these SNAP cuts, but the math shows you cannot make the massive cuts the House’s tax bill proposes without risking the food security for thousands of families. I’m all for reducing any waste or fraud to make the program more efficient, but rushing to pass these massive damaging cuts with no plan while they slash our food banks is a recipe for disaster.”
The proposed SNAP cuts would be a blow to Western NY food banks which have already been hit hard by Trump’s funding freezes and canceled payments. Earlier this year, the USDA canceled $1 billion in food assistance for organizations to purchase locally grown food. USDA programs provide food banks, schools, and other organizations with federal support to purchase local food products from NY farms.
FeedMore WNY is facing a projected $3.5M loss in food for 2025, as 12 critical orders of protein, dairy, and produce scheduled for delivery between May and August have already been canceled, resulting in the loss of over 8,000 cases of food, including thousands of dozens of eggs. In 2024, TEFAP CCC purchases accounted for 13% of all food distributed by FeedMore WNY. This loss comes as hunger continues to surge across the region, with FeedMore experiencing a 46% increase in demand since 2021, serving tens of thousands of children, seniors, and working families each year.
Schumer said these proposed cuts will limit food banks’ ability to keep shelves stocked as more people have been forced to rely on food banks to feed their families. Food bank workers and religious leaders across Upstate New York are concerned about the impact of potential cuts to SNAP on the people they serve, and farmers are worried there will be nowhere to sell their food if SNAP funding levels drop.
“No matter which way you slice it, this Congressional Republican plan will screw Western New York families, food banks and farmers from farm to table. We need everyone to stand up to these cuts that would take away food from our neighbors in need,” added Schumer.
“Deeply embedded in many religious traditions is the call to care for the vulnerable, forgotten, and poor in our midst. Offering them as we do, not just charity, but also justice that upholds their dignity and worth as human beings. And what is more basic in providing human dignity and worth for people, than providing them with the food they need? For 16 years I have pastored in WNY, and during that time I have witnessed over and over again the injustices that exist around our food system. I have seen people who depend on programs like SNAP for their survival, especially the elderly and the children in my congregation, torn down and made to feel like they are unworthy because they cannot afford to eat. We cannot let the people we call our neighbors, our family, and our friends, go hungry in order to save those who already have more than what they need. That is why I am proud to stand with Senator Schumer, and other leaders in our community, to demand justice. To demand that our leaders uphold the dignity of all people, instead of choosing to take the food off their plates,” said Pastor Rebecca Mentzer, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.
"As the director of Primera's Food Pantry, I see firsthand how many of our neighbors have to make impossible choices—between paying bills or putting food on the table,” said Pastor Cesar Galarza, Community Church Jehovah Jireh. “In recent months, we have seen a 50% increase in individuals who come to our pantry because they can no longer afford groceries. We are grateful to Senator Schumer for being here today and hearing about the nutritional insecurity that many people in our community face, and we urge more lawmakers to follow his lead. Our communities are struggling—not in theory, but in real life—and they need meaningful support to access the basic nutrition every person deserves."
“We hope for a day when we do not need millions of dollars in funding because the need in the community is lower – but that day is not today. Food insecurity remains a massive and growing problem across the country, including Western New York. Last year alone, more than 165,700 individuals relied on FeedMore WNY for food assistance, which was a 46 percent increase in just three years' time. The federal government plays a critical role in alleviating food insecurity, and we appreciate the work Senator Chuck Schumer is doing to fight for this mission critical funding. In 2024, FeedMore WNY received more than $14.9 million in federal funding to purchase food for our food bank distribution network, offer community outreach with SNAP assistance, and provide prepared meals for our community dining sites and home-delivered meal clients. It is imperative that the federal government continue to fund and support food assistance programs including SNAP, TEFAP and Meals on Wheels. Any reduction or elimination of these vital funds would has a devastating effect on the charitable food assistance network and further exacerbate the already massive problem of hunger in WNY and throughout the nation,” said Collin Bishop, Chief Communications Officer FeedMore WNY.
Proposed rollbacks to the country’s most widely utilized nutrition assistance program would strain budgets for Western NY families. Schumer said decimating funding for SNAP right as costs at grocery stores across the country are skyrocketing will hit the Western NY hard. According to the New York State Community Action Association, more than 14% of people in Erie County live in poverty, including more than 20% of children. According to No Kid Hungry, over half of New Yorkers reported going into debt in the past year due to rising food costs, with over 60% of families with children.
SNAP not only supplements families’ food budgets, it has also generated great economic benefits for New York State and NY-26 specifically. According to the National Grocers Association, grocery stores across New York State sold over $2.1 billion in groceries to people using SNAP benefits, including $146.1 million in NY-26. This created more than 18,500 New York jobs in the grocery industry, including 1,288 in NY-26, and generated more than $820.8 million in grocery industry wages, including $356.9 million in NY-26.
Schumer has been a strong advocate for addressing food insecurity in Western New York. Schumer last year secured $3 million for FeedMore WNY to build a new, 197,700-square-foot facility in the fiscal year (FY) 2024 spending bill. The senator secured $2 million to expand FeedMore WNY’s facility in the omnibus end-of-year spending package for FY2023. Additionally, in November 2023, Schumer announced over $40 million for food organizations across the state through the USDA funded New York Food for New York Families program with Governor Hochul, including $2 million for FeedMore and millions more for other Western NY food organizations and school districts.
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