The Legal Aid Society today urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately release the federally authorized contingency funds needed to allow states, including New York, to issue November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits without delay.

Legal Aid also thanked the Hochul Administration for allocating more than $40 million to ensure that low-income households have access to food, and called on the State to sustain and expand this support if the federal government continues to withhold contingency funds.

“Millions of New Yorkers rely on SNAP each month to keep food on the table and their pantries stocked, including seniors, people with disabilities, children, and working families,” said Adriene Holder, Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice at Legal Aid. “SNAP is essential to keeping New Yorkers safe, nourished, and their communities strong.”

“The USDA has the authority and the resources to prevent this crisis, yet it has refused to act or provide states with a plan,” she continued. “Governor Hochul and her administration have rightly taken an important first step — allocating more than $40 million to ensure that households do not go hungry — and must be prepared to sustain and expand this support if the federal government continues to deny states contingency funds.”

“This moment demands leadership,” she concluded. “No family should go hungry, especially with the holiday season approaching, because of political gridlock in Washington.”