January 23, 2025—In response to Governor Kathy Hochul’s FY 25-26 Budget, the SNAP4All New York coalition issued the following statement:

“While several initiatives in Governor Kathy Hochul’s FY 25-26 Budget included a focus on making New York healthier and more affordable, the SNAP4All New York Coalition is disheartened to see there was no mention of the creation of a food assistance benefit for immigrant New Yorkers. We are deeply disappointed that Governor Hochul did not include the New York State Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council’s (CPRAC) proposal to create a state-funded food benefit for households with children that are ineligible for SNAP due solely to their citizenship status. This critical recommendation was designed to address rising food insecurity among some of New York’s most vulnerable families and to advance CPRAC’s mission to cut child poverty in half by 2031—a goal the Governor herself set when establishing CPRAC through the Child Poverty Reduction Act.

The exclusion of this policy fails to acknowledge the disproportionately high rates of food insecurity faced by non-citizen households and the systemic barriers immigrant New Yorkers encounter when trying to access federal SNAP benefits. Despite contributing over $27 billion in state and local taxes, many immigrant New Yorkers remain unjustly excluded from SNAP. Families, neighbors, and hardworking members of our communities deserve access to food, regardless of their citizenship status.

As the Governor and legislative leaders chart a path forward for making New York more affordable, we strongly urge the inclusion of CPRAC’s set of recommendations, and that the FY 25-26 Budget include a state-funded food benefit for households with children that are ineligible for SNAP based on citizenship status.”

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About: The SNAP4All New York coalition is a broad network of over 80 nonprofits, immigrant rights groups, and other anti-hunger advocates that have come together to call on the Governor to create a state-funded food benefit for income-eligible New Yorkers who are ineligible for SNAP based on citizenship status.