U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer speaks this week about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding reductions.

As Congressional Republicans look to advance the largest potential cut to the anti-hunger program SNAP in American history this week, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer stood with Western New York religious leaders, food banks and farmers to issue a stark warning and demand action against the devastating proposed $230 billion SNAP cut to fund Trump’s tax cuts for corporations and billionaires that would leave thousands of seniors, families and children hungry. The senator joined with church leaders and hunger advocates to say how this is a moral issue that we should all unite to stop, and Schumer called on the administration to reverse its hunger program cuts and for the state House Republicans to stand against stealing from SNAP, which over 208,000 in Western New York rely on for food.

“No child should ever go to bed hungry. But Trump’s slashing of anti-hunger programs at the USDA has already cancelled 8,000 cases of food for FeedMore Western NY. Now, House Republicans are trying to rush through the budget process and make the largest cut to SNAP in history. With food insecurity on the rise, this is a double whammy that could hurtle families to a hunger crisis,” said Senator Schumer. “Stealing from SNAP to pay for Trump’s tax breaks for corporations & billionaires is as backwards as it gets, and will result in thousands of kids, seniors, and families going hungry. It is not a partisan issue, it is a moral issue. That is why I am here to show what these cuts mean for the nuns, priests, and food banks on the frontlines of fighting against hunger. Together we are demanding a stop to this all-out assault on our federal anti-hunger programs and to protect SNAP for our children, veterans, seniors, and families.”

Schumer explained how Trump’s USDA has already canceled $1 billion in food assistance, hurting Western New York’s FeedMore WNY, and if these SNAP cuts move forward it would be a double whammy, hurtling us to a hunger crisis. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a lifeline for nearly 3 million NY seniors, veterans and families who rely on the critical funding to purchase groceries. Schumer said that we should be investing more not less in anti-hunger programs, but under the Republican proposal, the average family would be reduced to just $5 per day per person.

In Chautauqua County, 19.1% of the residents receive SNAP funding — that’s higher than the neighboring counties of Erie, Niagara and Cattaraugus.

Schumer explained the Republican proposal to cut up to $230 billion from SNAP would inevitably mean costs of feeding families shift to states, who simply do not have the capacity to absorb this massive increase in expenses, risking families going hungry. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, mandating New York State to cover even a modest share of SNAP benefits would shift astronomical costs to the state with even just 5% increasing New York State’s costs by nearly $3.5 billion from FY2026 to FY2034. The senator said it is impossible to cut this much from federal SNAP funding without ripping food away from hungry children, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and more.

According to New York’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, in New York’s 26th Congressional District – which represents parts of Erie and Niagara counties – nearly 77,000 households receive an estimated $337 million in annual benefits as 35% of SNAP recipients are children, 14% are elderly, and 10% are people with disabilities. In New York’s 23rd Congressional District over 51,000 households receive an estimated $200 million in annual benefits with 31% of SNAP recipients are children, 17% are elderly, and 12% are people with disabilities.

FeedMore WNY is facing a projected $3.5M loss in food for 2025, as 12 critical orders of protein, dairy, and produce scheduled for delivery between May and August have already been canceled, resulting in the loss of over 8,000 cases of food, including thousands of dozens of eggs. In 2024, TEFAP CCC purchases accounted for 13% of all food distributed by FeedMore WNY. This loss comes as hunger continues to surge across the region, with FeedMore experiencing a 46% increase in demand since 2021, serving tens of thousands of children, seniors, and working families each year.

“No matter which way you slice it, this Congressional Republican plan will screw Western New York families, food banks and farmers from farm to table. We need everyone to stand up to these cuts that would take away food from our neighbors in need,” added Schumer.