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The CEO of the national nonprofit organization Hunger Free America, Joel Berg, was joined by Congresswoman Grace Meng, local nonprofit leaders and other elected and government officials in Queens, New York Monday to call attention to rising rates of hunger in NYC and decry surging hunger in the region, which they attributed to both the rising cost of living and steep cuts in federal food assistance due to H.R.1, the so-called “big, beautiful bill.”
They pointed out ways to address these issues and advocate for change, as well as how New York families can apply for SNAP at nonprofit organizations like MetroPlusHealth.
H.R. 1 enacted the deepest reductions in domestic food assistance in U.S. history, reducing federal spending for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called the Food Stamp Program, by $186 billion. Hunger Free America estimates that, as a result of that bill and other program restrictions imposed by Republicans in Washington, that federal grocery support has been reduced by over $45 million in New York State and over $21 million in New York City from May 2025 to May 2026.
The bill also forces states to pay for large parts of SNAP costs previously covered by the federal government and prevents SNAP benefit amount from rising in the future if food costs spike, thereby reducing the future food purchasing power for all 42.4 million program participants.
In New York State overall, there has been a 7% decrease in participation in SNAP from May 2025 to May 2026.
Said U.S. Rep Grace Meng, “Thank you to Hunger Free America for keeping a light shining on the devastating cuts to SNAP made by President Trump and congressional Republicans in the Big Ugly Bill. Slashing SNAP benefits that protect New Yorkers from going hungry is outrageous and unconscionable, and it stands to devastate so many of our friends and neighbors who won’t be able to put food on the table. The President thinks our government should make it harder for people to eat, but easier for his billionaire friends to get record tax cuts. That’s disgraceful. We will not stop fighting to repeal these massive cuts to SNAP. Nobody in Queens, across New York or throughout our country should ever go hungry.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said, “I’m grateful to Hunger Free America and Congresswoman Meng for continuing to sound the alarm on the hunger crisis facing New Yorkers. Families across New York are feeling the pain of sky-high grocery prices in President Trump’s America but instead of working to lower costs or supporting these families, Republicans in Washington are cutting the very programs that help put food on the table. SNAP is a critical lifeline for millions of New Yorkers, and I will keep doing everything in my power to protect the families who rely on it.
Joel Berg, CEO of the national, nonpartisan anti-hunger nonprofit Hunger Free America, commented, “Struggling families throughout the five boroughs, and New York State more broadly, are facing a dangerous double whammy of slashed food aid and a soaring cost of living, causing a skyrocketing hunger crisis, harming even many formerly middle-class families.” Berg continued, “The greatest tragedy of all this is that, because this crisis was caused by Republicans enacting policies that both slashed food aid by historic amounts and turbo-charged inflation, this mass suffering was entirely preventable.”
Berg continued, “To truly end hunger here in New York and across the nation, we need our leaders to enact a comprehensive set of federal, state, and local policies to boost wages, make the cost of living more affordable, bolster economic opportunity and upward mobility, and ensure an adequate government food safety net. At bare minimum, Congress needs to immediately roll back the majority’s recent massive cuts in food aid.”
NY State Senator John Liu, stated, “Trump’s big, ugly bill enacted some of the biggest cuts to food assistance in our nation’s history at a time when the cost of living is skyrocketing, and more families than ever are struggling to pay the bills. The result is a marked decline in SNAP participation, not because fewer families need help, but because the Trump administration has made it more difficult for people to get help. Our offices are here to help New Yorkers navigate their SNAP benefits, and we encourage anyone in need to reach out for assistance. Many thanks to Hunger Free America, Congresswoman Grace Meng, and all the service providers for continuing to fight to ensure no New Yorker goes hungry.”
New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn, commented, “The federal government has unleashed a broad-based effort to undermine SNAP, scapegoat those who receive assistance from the program, and slash federal resources for a program that has long been a federal responsibility. New York State continues to call on the federal government to repeal or delay for at least two years the SNAP state-cost sharing provisions in H.R. 1 and help ensure SNAP benefits remain fully available to reduce hunger during difficult economic times. While federally funded nutrition programs like SNAP are under attack in Washington, Governor Hochul continues to fight to make life more affordable for our hardworking families and focus on making sure New Yorkers can access resources and supports necessary to uplift them and their families.”
New York City Department of Social Services Commissioner Erin Dalton continued, “The federal government should make it easier, not harder, for people to access the benefits they are eligible to receive. H.R. 1 is designed to exhaust local resources and overburden the community partners who serve low-income New Yorkers, burying families in unnecessary red tape and ultimately keeping vulnerable people from the food assistance they need.”
Leslie Gordan, CEO of Food Bank For NYC, said, “Food Bank For NYC and our network of food pantries and soup kitchens are on the front lines of the fight against food insecurity. While we serve as a critical safety net for New Yorkers, our efforts cannot replace the role of SNAP in providing dignified access to nutritious food,” said Leslie Gordon, President & CEO of Food Bank For NYC. “At a time when our network is already stretched thin, reducing access to SNAP will place even greater strain on the emergency food system. We are proud to stand with Congresswoman Meng and our partners to protect SNAP and ensuring that every New Yorker has access to the food they need to thrive.”
More information on hunger in New York:
- The number of New York State residents without enough food over two seven-day periods was 76.1% higher in the period between August and September of 2024 than in the same August through September period in 2021. This is in contrast to a 55.2% increase nationwide during that same time period.
- Across New York City, 14.3% of the population, or 1.2 million people, lived in food insecure households between 2021 and 2023.
- The Bronx is New York City’s hungriest borough in terms of prevalence, with 19.1% of residents (227,086 people) living in food insecure households.
- Queens contains the highest number of individuals living in food insecure households in New York City, reaching 310,310 people between 2021 and 2023.
- Earlier this year H.R. 1, the “Big Bill,” cut SNAP by $186 billion, the largest cut in history. And most recently, the delay in the delivery of SNAP benefits during the federal shutdown further highlighted the food hardships faced by tens of millions of Americans.
