Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — During a brief visit to Rochester on Saturday, Governor Kathy Hochul addressed the recent court rulings which ordered the federal government to fund the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) through the ongoing government shutdown, as well as New York’s recently announced emergency funding for the roughly three million New Yorkers who rely on SNAP.
BACKGROUND: SNAP benefits set to expire Nov. 1: Lawmakers battle over program as shutdown lingers | Local food pantry offers critical assistance as SNAP benefits stall | Millions could miss SNAP payments as government shutdown drags on | SNAP funding crisis looms with shutdown, affecting millions relying on food assistance
“I have $106 million we’re allocating to food banks across New York,” Hochul said. “We’ll keep that going because the need is still high. But the federal government now according to these two judges is required to ensure that that emergency funding starts flowing out. So just in case it takes a few extra days, you want to make sure our food is there for people. But it never should have come to this. The State of New York joined another maybe 24 other states and brought this lawsuit. But we shouldn’t have to do this.”…