Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will be suspended on Nov. 1 amidst the government shutdown.
It is the first time in the history of the program that benefits will be suspended. The halt in SNAP payments comes at the instruction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
As the federal government’s monthlong shutdown continues, 25 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit demanding the USDA release contingency funds to continue to fund the food assistance program.
Food pantries in the Southern Tier are preparing for an influx of people.
‘Folks are feeling the panic’
The Corning Community Food Pantry said more people are coming to the food pantry this year over last year.
The month of October has also been busier than other months. On Wednesday, the food pantry served 50 households and 20 percent of them were new clients.
New people to the food pantry filled out their forms with the government shutdown as a reason for their need, according to Mary Caruso, executive director of the food pantry.
“We’re getting federal workers coming to us because they need food,” Caruso said.
Caruso said some people do not want to use food assistance but they need food.
“The underlying message we try to tell people is that we are here to help,” said Caruso. “This is what we're here for. We are here for times like these especially.”
The Corning Community Food Pantry will not turn anybody away.
“There's no shame involved in coming to us and asking for help,” said Caruso. “They don't even have to give us their real information, we just need some names, a zip code and their ages, because we need to know adults or seniors.”
The food pantry serves people from all over the Southern Tier and some residents of Pennsylvania.
“Folks are feeling the panic, right? Because yes, SNAP benefits are not being reloaded for November,” said Nancy Webster, chief development officer at the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. “But plenty of folks who have benefits in October—SNAP doesn't make it the whole month. People are given like, $6 a day. [It’s] really hard to feed a family on that.”
Webster said for every one meal that the Food Bank of the Southern Tier can provide, SNAP provides nine meals.
She said the organization is “built” for emergency situations like this but cannot sustain it forever.
“Really, the only solution is a bipartisan collaboration to reopen the government and fund SNAP,“ said Webster
‘Confusion, hardship, and administrative chaos’
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier serves nearly 40,000 households in six counties, including Broome, Tioga, Chemung, Schuyler, Tompkins and Steuben. These counties encompass three congressional districts: NY-23, which is represented by Republican Nick Langworthy, NY-19, represented by Democrat Josh Riley and NY-24, represented by Republican Claudia Tenney.
In the three congressional districts combined, SNAP serves 151,000 households according to 2024 data from the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). The majority of SNAP benefits in each congressional district go to children, seniors and disabled persons—making up more than 60 percent of program recipients.
Additionally, a 2019 USDA analysis estimated that every dollar in SNAP benefits generated $1.54 in economic activity such as in commerce, manufacturing, trade, transportation and jobs.
The OTDA estimated SNAP generated nearly $1 billion for local economies annually in 2024 in the three congressional districts: NY-19, NY-23 and NY-24.
Republican Kelly Fitzpatrick, the chair of the Steuben County Legislature, sent a letter this week urging Langworthy to “work toward an immediate bipartisan agreement that ensures continued federal funding for essential nutrition and home energy assistance programs (HEAP).”
“Neither New York State nor its counties have the financial capacity to pay for these programs if federal funding lapses,” said Fitzpatrick. “Counties are already operating under strict fiscal constraints and are responsible for administering these federally funded programs at the local level. This gap in federal support will create confusion, hardship, and administrative chaos across our human services systems.”
Langworthy issued the following statement: “Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats forced this shutdown—and they can end it today by changing their ‘no’ votes and making sure 42 million Americans don’t go hungry.”
The statement continued: “The President cannot legally fund programs that Congress hasn’t appropriated. Democrats have a choice to make: stand with needy American citizens or continue prioritizing benefits for illegal immigrants. I voted to keep the government open with a clean continuation of funding, and I hope Senate Democrats come to their senses before more Americans are hurt by their partisan games.”
Steuben County said it is “committed to standing with residents throughout this federal shutdown. County staff are working closely with state partners to ensure every household has access to accurate information, food and support services.”
Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate Democratic Caucus introduced a bill to avoid any delays in benefits for SNAP and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
According to a press release from U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025 directs the USDA to “immediately release billions of dollars in available funds to ensure that the approximately 42 million Americans who receive SNAP and 7 million pregnant women and new moms who receive WIC aid will see their benefits continue uninterrupted until the shutdown ends.”
The legislation also requires the federal government to reimburse states for covering the costs of SNAP benefits during a shutdown.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Thursday. The state will distribute $65 million for emergency food assistance to food banks, pantries and soup kitchens across the state.