Editorial: Federal food stamp funding and Nassau County

Thankfully, two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown.

The rulings came on a day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture was set to freeze payments Nov. 1 to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as food stamps, saying it could no longer sustain funding due to the shutdown.

The Trump administration stated in court filings on Monday, Nov. 3, that it would cover half of what the 42 million Americans – approximately one in eight members of the population – typically receive in federal assistance to purchase groceries.

This includes 31,545 Nassau County households, or 43,404 individuals, as of July. At least half of adults receiving the benefits work one, two or even three jobs.

New York State statistics show that 30% of those using food stamps are children, 21% are elderly and many are disabled. Among them are people living in group homes who are developmentally disabled.

State attorneys general or governors from 25 states, including New York, as well as the District of Columbia, had challenged the plan to pause the program, contending that the administration has a legal obligation to keep it running in their jurisdictions.

The administration stated it was not permitted to utilize a contingency fund with approximately $5 billion in it for the program, which reversed a USDA plan from before the shutdown that had allocated money to keep SNAP operational.

Word in October that the program would be a Nov. 1 casualty of the shutdown sent states, food banks and SNAP recipients scrambling to figure out how to secure food. Some states, including New York, said they would spend their own funds to keep versions of the program going.

Nassau Executive Bruce Blakeman declared a state of emergency Friday and announced that the county would provide Long Island’s two food banks, Long Island Cares and Island Harvest, with $50,000 per week to assist them with the halt in food stamp funding.

The two organizations that supply hundreds of pantries and soup kitchens for the region’s food-insecure have been ramping up efforts to help make up for the loss of food stamps.

“With the issues that are going on in Washington, D.C., right now, there are many people who are in jeopardy of not being able to feed themselves and their families. So we are trying to help and supplement the things that a lot of our great not-for-profits are doing here on Long Island,” Blakeman said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, on Thursday, declared a state of emergency and committed $65 million in new state funding for food programs as New York prepared for a federal cutoff in SNAP benefits for nearly 1.8 million residents. She had earlier announced $30 million in emergency state funding.

But Hochul stressed that state spending cannot replace federal SNAP funding in the long term, noting that New York administers approximately $650 million per month in federal benefits.

The program costs around $8 billion per month nationally. We hope that the government shutdown ends well before the contingency funds are depleted – provided they are utilized.

Food bank executives said the money from Nassau County and the state would help but not enough to cover all the needs of SNAP recipients.

“The truth of the matter is that with 184,000 people receiving SNAP on Long Island, that’s millions each month that they were counting on. We can’t food bank our way out of that,” said Island Harvest CEO Randi Shubin Dresner. “The generous funding that we’re getting is important. It’s going to feed people who are in need, but it won’t close the gap. The only way to close this gap is to get SNAP dollars back in the system. When people can’t put the food on the table for their families, it’s grim.”

The two food banks have also partnered to address a second group – federal workers who are not receiving pay due to the government shutdown. They have been hosting special distributions for affected workers and offering ongoing support at their regular pantries.

How, in the richest country in the world, can one in eight people need the government’s help to have enough to eat?

Some people question whether all those now eligible for SNAP benefits should qualify and whether some who do are discouraged from working with benefits. Other people say the problem of food insecurity in this country is understated.

In 2023, Island Harvest Food Bank estimated that 7.8% of Nassau County residents—107,760 people —were food insecure. This term doesn’t necessarily mean someone is always hungry, but rather that they don’t consistently know where their next meal will come from.

The number in Nassau County listed as food-insecure is more than twice the 43,404 individuals who were receiving SNAP benefits in July.

This is occurring in a county with a median household income of $143,408, which is about 70% higher than the state of New York’s median household income of $84,600. And New York’s median household income is nearly 10% more than the average in the United States.

The number of food-insecure people, including those who have jobs, also raises questions about the minimum wage.

Nassau County residents should not wait for the government to address food insecurity.

We are fortunate to have two highly successful organizations, Long Island Cares and Island Harvest Food Bank, to address food insecurity on Long Island. We also have a network of pantries and soup kitchens to help distribute food.

What is needed now is for the businesses and residents who have long supported these organizations to do even more. And for those who have not supported them to start.