WITH THANKSGIVING AROUND THE CORNER AND FOOD BANKS STRUGGLING AS NEW GOP SNAP CUTS TAKE EFFECT, SCHUMER ANNOUNCES NEW LEGISLATION TO PROTECT SNAP, WHICH 68,000+ SOUTHERN TIER FAMILIES, SENIORS, & VETS RELY ON, HELP LOCAL FARMERS AND SAVE COUNTY BUDGETS FROM PAYING FOR DEVASTATING FOOD CUTS

Over The Summer, Trump Rushed To Pass Largest Cut To SNAP In History – Nearly $200 BILLION - To Fund Tax Breaks For Billionaires With Those Cuts Beginning Now Just Before Thanksgiving; Food Banks Are Already Seeing Surging Need As Grocery Prices Skyrocket From Tariffs

Schumer Says These Cruel SNAP Cuts Hurt Our Families, Farmers, & Food Banks, And Now Is Announcing New Legislation To Keep Southern Tier Families Fed, Reverse Anti-Hunger Cuts

Schumer: Thanksgiving Is A Time For Us To Take Care Of Our Neighbors, And That Means Protecting SNAP

As Southern Tier food banks prepare to help families for Thanksgiving, just as GOP SNAP cuts start to take effect adding to already overwhelming demand, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer today announced his new legislation – the Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act – to repeal the devastating SNAP cuts set to rip away food from thousands of hungry kids and families across America. Standing at the Wellness Warehouse Food Pantry, Schumer said New Yorkers are already struggling to feed their families amid rising grocery costs due to tariffs, and losing vital food assistance because of the cuts in the Republican budget causing advocates to warn of a hunger crisis.

“SNAP isn’t an abstract policy or a number in a spreadsheet; it’s food, dignity, and survival for thousands of families here in the Southern Tier. Thanksgiving is around the corner, and food banks are already overwhelmed because of rising grocery costs due to tariffs, and now families are being hit with devastating cuts to food assistance that could hurtle us to a hunger crisis,” said Senator Schumer. “That’s why I’m introducing the Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act. This new bill will protect SNAP and stop thousands of New Yorkers from going hungry, and ensure every family has the basic security and dignity of food on the table. This is not a partisan issue; it is a moral issue.”

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest anti-hunger program in the United States and a lifeline for nearly 3 million NY seniors, veterans, and families who rely on the critical funding to purchase groceries. SNAP provides an average of $187 per month in food aid to over 42 million people nationwide. 3 million New Yorkers receive SNAP benefits, including more than 68,000 in the Southern Tier. A county-by-county breakdown of New Yorkers in the Southern Tier on SNAP can be found below:

Schumer and colleagues’ new Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act would reverse the SNAP cuts in the “Big, Ugly Betrayal,” helping families put food on the table, food banks keep shelves stocked, and local farmers sell their local food products. The entire Democratic caucus has signed on to co-sponsor the legislation. The full text for the legislation can be seen HERE. The Republican-passed ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ this month began to rip away food benefits from millions of Americans, with even more cuts set to come in 2027 and 2028, eventually slashing or shutting off benefits for 4 million Americans and totaling nearly $200 BILLION in food assistance cuts, all to help pay for bigger tax breaks for billionaires.

More than 68,000 New Yorkers across the Southern Tier rely on SNAP benefits and Southern Tier food pantries along with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier have been working around the clock to keep our neighbors fed. Earlier this week, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier hit its record high for food distributions in its 44-year history, distributing over 149,000 lbs. of food. This is more than they distributed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With this growing need, Southern Tier families are losing vital food assistance as they bear the brunt of reductions to their SNAP benefits, leaving families scared, not knowing when their next meal will be.

According to new data from Hunger Free America, New York families are being slammed by higher prices at the grocery store. Half of New York families said they could not afford balanced meals, 24% said they were forced to buy less nutritious food for their children, 31% said they had to reduce portion sizes for their children, and 19% said they had to skip meals for their children. More than half of families said they were forced to obtain free food from food charities, with 60% having to wait an hour or more for food and 57% going to agencies that ran out of food.

“SNAP is the first line of defense for more than 39,000 Southern Tier households, providing nine times more meals than food banks ever could,” said Mark Bordeau, President & CEO of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. “These cuts are overwhelming families and our emergency network, and that’s why we need legislation now more than ever to restore the support our region depends on.”

Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, said, “Our new survey of New York State families with an annual income below $100,000 found that, over the past year, 75% faced higher costs of living and that more than twice as many said it became harder for them to afford food. On top of that, our separate survey of food charities across New York State found that 88% of these programs reported feeding an increasing number of New Yorkers in the last year, and 76% didn’t have enough food to meet the growing demand. These reports prove that sky-high living costs, combined with the overall decline of the middle class and massive cuts by conservatives to the social service safety net, have caused a major hunger crisis statewide in New York. Senator Schumer understands these threats better than anyone, which is why we stand firmly with him in to support his calls for federal policy changes to slash U.S. hunger by repealing recent cuts, strengthening the middle class, and boosting economic opportunity for all.”

Suzianna Fritz, Director of Emergency Services for Catholic Charities of Chemung & Schuyler said, “In recent days, we’ve seen new faces—people who have never needed help before—coming to us because they’re fearful they won’t have enough food. Most of the individuals in our programs rely on SNAP benefits, and when those benefits are delayed or reduced, the impact is immediate. Our food pantries are stepping up to support both our program participants and others in the community who are struggling. Thanks to our strong partnership with the Food Bank, we’ve been able to keep shelves stocked and respond quickly, but with the cost of everything rising, cuts to SNAP are simply not an option. Feeding people is a top priority for us. At Schuyler Outreach, we are now serving an average of 220 households each month, and at the Samaritan Center Food Pantry, that number is nearly 1,000 households. These numbers represent real families who depend on us—and on SNAP—to get by.”

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