Rising Food Insecurity Statewide Will Only Get Worse
Proposed federal changes to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest program helping households obtain food, would increase costs to state governments, limit eligibility and reduce the value of future benefits according to a new report by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The most recent available data show 1 in 8 New York households were food insecure between 2021 and 2023. Almost 3 million New Yorkers relied on SNAP as of March 2025.
“The state has made meaningful efforts to reduce food insecurity, but it will be hard-pressed to expand or even retain these efforts if Washington shifts billions of dollars in costs to New York,” DiNapoli said. “If this legislation passes Congress, it will harm America’s most vulnerable residents, including here in New York where food insecurity has continued to be a significant problem post-pandemic.”
Very low food security, defined as one or more household members reducing or forgoing eating repeatedly over the course of a year, increased to 4.7% of households, about 365,000, in 2021 to 2023. New York was one of only six states with a statistically significant increase in very low food security in this period.
As previously reported by the Office of the State Comptroller, pandemic relief funds that enhanced income and food benefits during the pandemic were instrumental in preventing large increases in food insecurity during that time. These benefits included universally free school meals and higher SNAP benefits.
While prices for food-at-home were relatively stable in the years preceding the pandemic, they have increased sharply since March 2020, growing 23.5% through March 2025. A 2024 survey of 3,774 respondents conducted by Long Island Cares indicates 69% of those who used affiliated food pantries did so due to the cost of food or inflation.
These increases have not occurred in isolation, as other costs have also experienced inflation. Rents, which are the largest expense for many households, rose 27.1% during the same period. Higher prices also coincided with the rising number of New Yorkers in poverty compared to pre-pandemic period levels. In 2023, 17.6% of New Yorkers were in poverty under the Supplemental Poverty Measure, a significant increase from 15.9% in 2019.
Using the first three months of 2025 as a baseline for benefit costs, DiNapoli’s office estimates the Senate proposal would cost New York up to $1.2 billion in new costs, while the House proposal would cost the state up to $2 billion annually. Increasing the state share of administrative costs from 50% to 75% would result in the loss of approximately $266 million. Taken together, the changes mean the state could face between $1.4 and 2.2 billion in new annual costs within the financial plan period.
Eligibility would be limited in several ways. First, SNAP would be limited to citizens or lawful permanent residents. Second, work requirements for able bodied adults without dependents receiving SNAP for more than 3 months in 3 years (the time limit) would apply to those ages 18 to 64, up from 55, with some exceptions. The requirements would also be expanded to those with children over 7 years old (House bill) or over 14 years old (Senate bill). Work, education or volunteering, or some combination thereof, of at least 80 hours monthly would be required.
The House bill would also decrease the value of future benefits by prohibiting revaluation or reconstitution of the Thirty Food Plan, which is the minimum adequate monthly food budget defined by the USDA, and mandating future increases to the value of the plan be capped at the rate of consumer price index growth. The Senate bill would allow for reevaluation but require it be cost-neutral. If food prices continue to climb at a rate greater than general inflation, the value of the benefit relative to household budget will be smaller, and may place additional strain on local food banks and community resources.
- Free school breakfast and lunch in all schools, regardless of income ($340 million)
- The Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP), which supports costs of food pantries, soup kitchens and emergency shelters ($57.8 million)
- Nourish NY, which connects New York’s agricultural industry with food banks ($55 million)
Federal support and tax revenue growth in the post-pandemic period have allowed for the establishment or expansion of these programs. However, as DiNapoli notes in the Enacted Budget Report for State Fiscal Year 2025-26, the financial plan will be challenged by the uncertainty about the course of the economy and the threat of federal funding cuts.
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