New York – September 15, 2026 -- Food Bank For NYC, the largest hunger-relief organization in New York City, is urging Congress to delay a new federal SNAP cost-sharing mandate for two years and fully fund the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), warning that unmitigated new costs could destabilize food access for millions of residents.
New SNAP cost-sharing rules take effect October 1 under the federal budget law H.R. 1
Provisions enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA), signed into law last year, require U.S. states to share SNAP program costs for the first time in the program's history. Starting October 1, New York State must cover a larger share of SNAP's administrative costs, adding an estimated $168 million in annual expenses for the state and $110 million annually for New York City.
New York faces over $1.1 billion in additional annual SNAP costs by 2027
Without congressional intervention, New York State could face more than $1.1 billion in new annual SNAP costs starting in 2027, with an estimated $700 million impact on New York City alone. The law ties state cost-sharing obligations to SNAP payment error rates, which measure administrative processing mistakes rather than fraud.
New York's improved error rate excludes it from a two-year delay other states will receive
Despite reducing its payment error rate, New York currently faces the highest cost-sharing requirement of any state under the new law, disqualifying it from a two-year implementation delay available elsewhere. Nearly 1.7 million New York City residents rely on SNAP to afford groceries, and reduced benefits typically push more households toward food pantries and soup kitchens.
Food Bank For NYC is the city's sole TEFAP distributor supplying hundreds of pantries
Food Bank For NYC is the only TEFAP provider in New York City and the nation's largest TEFAP distributor, supplying tens of millions of pounds of food annually to hundreds of community food pantries and soup kitchens across the five boroughs, many already operating at capacity. "Congress has an opportunity to prevent a food access crisis before it happens," said Leslie Gordon, President and CEO of Food Bank For NYC, noting that weakening SNAP while underfunding TEFAP could leave millions of New Yorkers at greater risk of food insecurity.