Food bank leaders from across New York gathered in Elmsford this month to sound an alarm: a federal funding change taking effect October 1 will shove $168 million a year in new costs onto the state and its counties, just as hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are already losing their SNAP benefits. Ten major food banks from across the state joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand at Feeding Westchester to warn that the shift could overwhelm a charitable food network that was never built to replace federal grocery aid.
Starting October 1, the federal government will cover only 25% of state and local administrative costs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, down from the 50% match it has provided for years. That change stems from Section 10106 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the sweeping federal law signed July 4, 2025, which set the cut to take effect at the start of fiscal year 2027, according to the Federal Register. New York is especially exposed because it is one of just ten states that administers SNAP at the county level, and one of only three — alongside New Jersey and North Carolina — where county budgets alone must absorb the entire non-federal share of administrative costs, per the New York State Association of Counties.
That association estimates the cost-sharing change will shift $168 million annually onto New York's local social services districts, with $60 million of new obligations landing on county budgets in the final quarter of 2026 alone. Gillibrand's office cites the same $168 million figure in describing what New York state and its counties will now have to cover because of the funding change, as reported by News 12 Long Island. The shift comes as more than 300,000 New York households are at risk of losing assistance by the end of 2026, according to figures cited by Gillibrand's office.
Food Bank Leaders Describe a System Already Stretched Thin
Kristine Borok, who took over as President and CEO of Feeding Westchester in February, said the funding cuts translate directly into less food on tables and in lunchboxes, per News 12's report. Feeding Westchester distributes food through 175 community partner agencies in a county where 11 percent of households were food insecure in 2023, according to Feeding America. Borok urged the public to keep supporting food banks even as the network braces for more demand.
Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest and Vice Chair of Feeding New York State, said the funding cut will be difficult for food banks to withstand, the station's report noted. That difficulty is rooted in scale: SNAP historically delivers nine meals for every single meal a food bank can provide, a gap food bank leaders say charitable pantries simply cannot close on their own. New York's food banks, per the same account, are not positioned to fill the increased food assistance gap left as more residents lose direct federal aid.
Tighter Work Rules Are Already Pushing People Off Benefits
The eligibility squeeze predates the administrative cost shift. The federal law expanded SNAP work requirements to cover able-bodied adults without dependents up to age 64, up from the previous cap of 54, and now includes parents of children aged 14 and older, according to Minnesota's Department of Children, Youth, and Families, which has tracked the law's provisions. The law also eliminated prior exemptions for veterans, unhoused individuals, and young adults aging out of foster care. Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates project the law's SNAP provisions will cut federal safety-net spending by nearly $187 billion through 2034 and reduce average monthly participation nationwide by 2.4 million people, per the Peterson Foundation.
In New York, children make up 30% of SNAP recipients while seniors and people with disabilities account for another 31%, with statewide benefits averaging $376 per household monthly before the cuts, according to the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island, citing state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance figures. Food bank leaders and Gillibrand also warned that the funding change could delay SNAP application processing and push more people toward food banks that are already stretched, News 12 reported.
Gillibrand Vows to Fight, USDA Stays Silent
Gillibrand said she will fight to protect New York families from food insecurity, and told News 12 that she considers it immoral for families to lack enough food, vowing to push back both politically and on the substance of the policy. The food banks that joined her in Elmsford said they will seek her support in trying to recover some of the lost funding and expect to lean more heavily on donations to cover the difference. News 12 said it contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture about the cuts but had not received a response as of publication.
The Elmsford press conference follows a broader pattern of state-level pushback against the federal rollback. Advocates called for $75 million each for the state Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program and the Nourish New York program. Whether Congress will consider a two-year delay in implementing the administrative cost shift, or whether state lawmakers will step in during upcoming budget sessions to cover part of the gap, remains unresolved.
