Speaker Heastie Statement on Ruling that Trump Administration Must Release Funding for SNAP Benefits

Speaker Heastie Statement on Ruling that Trump Administration Must Release Funding for SNAP Benefits

Today's ruling that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits must be distributed as soon as possible is a breath of relief for so many New York families and for families across this country. These benefits are funded by our hard-earned money. We pay the federal government out of our tax dollars with the understanding that if we fall on hard times, there is a safety net in place so we and our children will not go hungry.

Almost 3 million New Yorkers receive SNAP benefits. Of those, 30 percent are children, 21 percent are elderly and 10 percent are disabled. The Trump administration is using SNAP benefits and hunger as a political weapon during this government shutdown - denying food assistance in order to enact their agenda of cutting healthcare. This is patently cruel and needs to end.