NEW: One Year After Republican Tax Law, New York SNAP Enrollment Down Almost 10% and Families Pay the Price
Hudson Valley food pantries warn that amid higher grocery costs and SNAP cuts, their resources will be strained
HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Hudson Valley families are facing increased financial burdens every day: fueling up the car has become almost unaffordable, parents are making difficult decisions in the aisles of grocery stores, and families are being left to take out loans to pay utility bills. Local food pantries warn that, against rising grocery prices and federal funding cuts to the SNAP program, their capacity will be strained.
Recent reports estimate that since 2025, families have spent $5,500 more on goods and services, including $310 more on groceries. The Republican Tax Law, which Congressman Mike Lawler supported, made significant funding cuts to the SNAP program. As a result, the number of New Yorkers receiving SNAP benefits has dropped by over 270,000, or almost 10%, since July of 2025.
“As more and more families lose their SNAP benefits, parents will struggle to put food on the table, schools might be the only place where kids get a reliable meal, and food pantries will feel an increased pressure to make up the difference from SNAP,” said Sasha from Pawling. “We need our leaders in Washington to come together and find a solution, because no one should be going to school, to work, or to bed hungry.”
“We are seeing more and more families come in after losing their SNAP benefits, who can’t afford groceries amid everything else that’s getting so expensive,” said Tom Hartford, Board Member from El Camino Al Exito. “When federal funding gets cut, it falls on organizations like ours to make up the difference, but we aren’t equipped to make up that difference. And it’s Hudson Valley families that will pay the price”
Empire State Voices is working with partners across the Hudson Valley to uplift the stories of New Yorkers impacted by federal funding cuts. Interested press may contact press@empirestatevoices.org.
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Empire State Voices is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. We are fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same. To learn more about Empire State Voices, contact press@empirestatevoices.org
