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Recent funding cuts to federal food assistance programs could negatively impact New York food banks and the people they serve, leading U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to push for answers.
New York receives around $30 million in regular funding from the USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) annually, Gillibrand says, which helps food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries feed those in need across the state.
“As hungry families turn to food banks and soup kitchens for help, Trump is now slashing the funding they rely on. It’s outrageous,” Gillibrand said Wednesday. “Programs like TEFAP … help serve every community — rural, urban, Democratic, Republican — in every state in times of need. They are not an extraneous expense; they are an investment in healthy kids, healthy families and healthy futures.
“I am calling on the Trump administration to provide answers on what plans — if any — it has to keep Americans from going hungry after these cuts, and I will be doing everything in my power to reverse them.”
Here’s what to know.
What is the USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance Program?
TEFAP provides low-income individuals with free emergency food assistance, according to the USDA.
State agencies receive foods from the USDA based on the number of people that are living below the poverty level or are unemployed throughout the state and distribute it across local agencies and organizations like food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries so those who need it in their communities can access it.
Administrative funds used to support the storage and distribution of USDA-supplied foods are also allotted to state agencies and passed down to local agencies.
TEFAP cuts will have a ‘significant and damaging impact,’ Gillibrand says
These recent cuts specifically affect TEFAP purchases funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation, according to not-for-profit organization Feeding New York State, and don’t disrupt TEFAP entitlement food purchases and Section 32 bonus buys.
In addition to the the TEFAP cuts, USDA slashed over $1 billion in funding for the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program last month, USA TODAY reported.
Gillibrand sent a letter to USDA Secretary Brook Rollins earlier this week to ask for clarification on what cuts have been made and how they’ll impact those who rely on the programs.
“If true, this major shift in a program utilized by emergency food providers in every state in the nation will have a significant and damaging impact upon millions of people who depend upon this program for critical food assistance,” Gillibrand stated in the letter. “These cuts will deprive Americans of food assistance, emergency food providers of necessary support to carry out their work, and American farmers of vital domestic markets.”
How could funding cuts affect New Yorkers and food banks statewide?
New York state could see a loss of around 16 million pounds of USDA foods in 2025 due to the TEFAP funding cuts, according to Feeding New York State.
“The Administration’s recent decision to cancel $500 million in TEFAP food purchases, funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation, will significantly impact our statewide network of food banks,” Feeding New York State says. “This funding had been announced last year by the previous administration and our food banks were planning operations with the expectation that this food will be available.”
Feeding New York State’s network of food banks — including Foodlink, which serves the Rochester area, and Westchester County’s Feeding Westchester — works with over 3,000 local food pantries, emergency shelters, senior meal programs and faith-based organizations and serves around 70% more households and individuals than in 2019.
Through TEFAP, the organization’s system of food banks distributed over 167 million pounds of food in 2024.
Free meals for students in New York schools could also be in danger
Over 2 million children in New York could lose access to free school meals if a proposal to tighten school meal program funding, which would endanger the USDA’s Community Eligibility Program (CEP), is passed by Congress, according to a recently released study by the Food Research & Action Center and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
In the 2023-2024 school year, 4,200 schools adopted CEP in New York, reaching 2,356,379 students each school day, according to the analysis. Under the proposed cuts, 1,784 schools within 550 school districts would no longer be able to provide free school meals through the CEP with 908,567 children losing access to free programs.
Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at [email protected].
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