In late October 2025 during the government shutdown, I stood with Gov. Kathy Hochul at a press conference to explain how losing my food assistance benefits would hurt me and other people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. We hugged and shook hands, and she promised to take care of our people.
But she didn’t do that. Instead of using state money to directly fund SNAP, the governor put millions of dollars toward food pantries. Those do help, but they were already overwhelmed by the number of people who are food insecure even before SNAP was cut, and usually have long lines that can be difficult to access for people like me with disabilities.
Today, with 200,000 New Yorkers in danger of losing their SNAP benefits due to President Donald Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, Hochul still refuses to take bold action to protect us from federal attacks. These problems may have been caused by the president, but it’s our governor’s responsibility to keep her people from starving.
It’s time for her to step up — and she can do that by taxing the rich.
How Hochul must step up for New Yorkers on SNAP
I started getting SNAP benefits about 20 years ago when I became disabled and wasn’t able to work. A family member let me move in because I was unable to live on my own, but they couldn’t afford to feed me as well. SNAP kept me fed. I didn’t have to worry about starving or asking people for food.
Today, I live by myself and pay my own bills. While my SNAP benefits don’t always go very far with the sky-high cost of groceries, they are one tool I use to keep food in my cabinet and refrigerator.
I didn’t end up losing my benefits during the shutdown last year, but I did lose my peace of mind. I got letters stating that my benefits would be reduced, and then my benefits came late that month. Then I got letters stating that they would be increased, but not to the same level I was receiving before — leaving me with less money to spend on other essentials and pay off my credit-card debt.
It’s not a good feeling, knowing that you might not have enough money for food. This kind of uncertainty actually plays with your mind. It makes you feel unstable.
Because of the Trump administration’s new SNAP work requirements and funding cuts, thousands of New Yorkers like me are experiencing this uncertainty again. Low-income people are being told they have to find jobs or volunteer in order to receive their food stamps, even though they may not have the proper qualifications or attire or shoes to do so. Changes to how SNAP benefits are calculated will lower benefit levels for many.
Gov. Hochul claims the state has no money to replace this lost federal SNAP funding, but that’s only because she refuses to make the richest New Yorkers and largest corporations pay what they owe in taxes. By including the Invest in Our New York bills in the state budget, the governor could raise more than $40 billion in public funds. That’s more than enough to save SNAP in New York and invest in other programs and services that low-income people depend on.
Who is New York still affordable for?
The governor likes to talk about “affordability” — but affordable for who? Because this state is sure not affordable for us. Gov. Hochul says she’s scared of rich residents moving to lower-tax states, but it’s really ordinary New Yorkers who are being forced to leave because they can no longer afford to live here.
I’m 67 now, and I’ve been voting since I was 18. Low-income and working-class people are an important part of Hochul’s base, and we are tired of her putting our needs on the back burner. She needs to listen to us, not to her millionaire and billionaire donors who are receiving massive tax breaks. She needs to put her foot down and make them pay their fair share.
Gov. Hochul, open your eyes and do the right thing — for my people, your people, and the people of the state of New York.…Read more by Pamela Stephens