MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County leaders are going to have a meeting regarding the funding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as well as heating benefits, due to the government shutdown.

Friday afternoon two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown.

The rulings came a day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the shutdown.

Before the ruling was announced, Chautauqua County Legislature Chairman Pierre Chagnon, R-Ellery, sent out an email to all 19 legislators that states, “I am calling an Emergency Meeting of the Chautauqua County Legislature Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to get an update on the status of SNAP and HEAP benefits, get an explanation of what the county can legally do to assist the recipients of SNAP and HEAP benefits, get an update on the status of state funds for emergency food assistance, and get an update on the status of local food programs and community partners. We will appreciate the County Executive coordinating information from NYSAC, the County Department of Social Services, the County Law Department, and the local food programs and community partners.”

The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded energy program designed to assist eligible low-income households in meeting their heat-related energy costs. HEAP is comprised of four components: Regular, Emergency, Heating Equipment Repair and Replacement, and Cooling Assistance.

The office is scheduled to be open Nov. 1-March 31, however due to the government shutdown, it has been delayed until at least Nov. 17.

On the New York state government website, it states, “Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown and the lack of federal funding, November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have been delayed, and the start of applications for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) has been delayed until further notice. The Public Assistance program is not affected at this time.

“We know this interruption can make it difficult for households to afford food or heating costs. We urge U.S. Department of Agriculture to make SNAP funding available to support November SNAP issuances as quickly as possible. There may be local supports available to help during this time.”

On Thursday, County Legislator Tom Carle, D-Fredonia, who is running for county executive, urged Chagnon to call a meeting to discuss the county using some of its reserve funds to help supplement county residents who cannot receive their SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown.

When asked about Wednesday’s meeting, Chagnon responded, “There is a lot of misinformation about what we can do, what the need is, and what we should do. We will discuss it all on Wednesday.”

Chagnon added that if the federal government reopens by Wednesday, the county legislature may still meet. “It depends on when and what they agree to,” he said.