Democratic state legislators and anti-hunger advocates in New York are pushing for a food security package in the upcoming state budget, citing federal cuts to food access in the state. The proposed package includes $150 million in funding for nutrition programs and welfare benefits, as well as increasing the minimum amount that beneficiaries can receive for food assistance per month from the current $24 to $100. The coalition also wants $244 million to feed 41,000 refugees, asylees, and victims of violence who were recently excluded from federal SNAP eligibility.

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) -- Democratic state legislators and anti-hunger advocates rallied at the State Capitol on Monday to support including a food security package in the upcoming state budget. They want more state protections and funding for nutrition programs and welfare benefits following federal cuts to food access in New York.

Changes in policy put the state on the hook for food assistance, in part because the federal government stopped sending reimbursements for stolen electronic benefits and removed asylum seekers from federal aid. That means food providers face higher demand. A proposed Protect, Invest, and Expand Food Security Package could help fill those budget gaps, according to supporters.

Expand Food Security Package

Food pantry leaders and Democratic lawmakers argued at the rally that the state can't balance its budget at the expense of New Yorkers who can't afford to eat. In the video above, State Senator Michelle Hinchey argued that food access is a basic dignity issue. She outlined their push for $150 million in funding for the Nourish New York and the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, alongside increasing the minimum amount that beneficiaries can receive for food assistance per month from the current $24 to $100.

State Senator Zellnor Myrie pointed out that New Yorkers reported $52 million in stolen SNAP funds over the past three years. He sponsors a bill in the package to create a state compensation fund to reimburse those victims absent federal aid. The package also asks for $6 million for the Double Up Food Bucks program and $8.5 million for the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program.

The coalition also wants $244 million to feed 41,000 refugees, asylees, and victims of violence who were recently excluded from federal SNAP eligibility. This fund would also cover 65,000 noncitizen households with children in New York.

State Senator Michelle Hinchey

"We are the richest state in the richest country in the history of the world, and not a single person should go hungry here," said Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas.

Hinchey sponsors one of the bills in the package, requiring the New York State Department of Health to track food insecurity. The legislation would require annual public reports on each county. She said the state needs such data to pinpoint where funding is needed in the community and distribute it properly.

The coalition blamed President Donald Trump for eliminating food benefits. The White House has argued that withholding funds, demanding data, and restricting eligibility are necessary to end welfare fraud and abuse on the part of undocumented immigrants.

We are the richest state in the richest country in the history of the world, and not a single person should go hungry here.

The wider picture

Costs, supply and public patience all move at different speeds, and the friction between them is where most food-industry stories actually begin.

Key takeaways

  • Democratic state legislators and anti-hunger advocates in New York are pushing for a food security package in the upcoming state budget, citing federal cuts to food access in the state
  • Food pantry leaders and Democratic lawmakers argued at the rally that the state can't balance its budget at the expense of New Yorkers who can't afford to eat
  • The coalition also wants $244 million to feed 41,000 refugees, asylees, and victims of violence who were recently excluded from federal SNAP eligibility
  • "We are the richest state in the richest country in the history of the world

Figures worth noting

  • The proposed package includes $150 million in funding for nutrition programs and welfare benefits, as well as increasing
  • She outlined their push for $150 million in funding for the Nourish New York and the Hunger Prevention and
  • State Senator Zellnor Myrie pointed out that New Yorkers reported $52 million in stolen SNAP funds over the past three years
  • The package also asks for $6 million for the Double Up Food Bucks program and $8.5 million for the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program

The questions it raises

What should you know about York?

Democratic state legislators and anti-hunger advocates in New York are pushing for a food security package in the upcoming state budget, citing federal cuts to food access in the state.

Why does it matter?

Changes in policy put the state on the hook for food assistance, in part because the federal government stopped sending reimbursements for stolen electronic benefits and removed asylum seekers from federal aid.

All told

Every change in the food industry eventually reaches the same test, which is whether people keep choosing it once the novelty has worn off.