Attorney General James Urges Congress to Restore SNAP Benefits and Protect Food Assistance in Farm Bill

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today led a coalition of 22 other attorneys general in urging congressional leaders to restore Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and eligibility protections in the upcoming Farm Bill and reject efforts to reduce food assistance for families, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and working people. In a letter to Senate leadership and the leaders of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Attorney General James and the coalition warned that recent federal SNAP cuts – the largest reductions to food assistance in modern history – are increasing hunger, creating new bureaucratic hurdles for eligible families, and shifting billions of dollars in costs onto states and local governments. They write that as the Senate considers the next Farm Bill, it has an opportunity to reaffirm a bipartisan commitment that no American should go hungry because they cannot afford food.

“SNAP helps millions of Americans put food on the table and supports the farmers and grocers that feed our communities,” said Attorney General James. “Our representatives in Washington need to understand the consequences of these cuts and the families, veterans, and seniors they are hurting. I am urging the Senate to reverse these cruel changes and restore the food assistance that millions of Americans count on.”

SNAP provides critical support to more than 2.9 million New Yorkers, including children, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and working families struggling with the high cost of living. New federal restrictions passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including expanded work requirements and additional administrative hurdles, make it significantly harder for New Yorkers to keep their benefits or threaten to push them off the program altogether. In their letter, Attorney General James and the coalition argue that expanded work requirements and administrative hurdles do not create jobs or reduce poverty. Instead, they cause eligible families to lose assistance because they are unable to navigate increasingly complex bureaucratic requirements.

The attorneys general also raise concerns about the impact of new SNAP changes on state economies. New cost-sharing provisions require states to shoulder billions of dollars in new costs while imposing substantial new administrative burdens, a significant shift from SNAP’s longstanding federal commitment to ensuring that Americans do not go hungry during times of need. In New York alone, these changes could cost well over $1 billion per year beginning in 2027. Attorney General James and the coalition warn that these unprecedented shifts could force states to make impossible choices between cutting other essential services or reducing SNAP support for vulnerable residents.

Attorney General James and the coalition are urging the Senate to take a different approach from the House-passed Farm Bill, which fails to reverse recent cuts to food assistance. They are calling on the Senate to restore SNAP benefit levels and funding, reverse or delay new cost-sharing requirements, and roll back expanded work requirements and eligibility restrictions. They also urge the Senate to reject further benefit cuts, preserve state flexibility, and strengthen access to nutrition assistance for seniors, children, veterans, and working families.

Attorney General James has been a national leader in protecting access to SNAP. In December 2025, Attorney General James successfully secured a federal court order preventing unlawful disruptions to SNAP benefits and fought to ensure families could continue to access to SNAP during the October 2025 federal shutdown. In September 2025, Attorney General James secured a court order ensuring the federal government could not use SNAP recipients’ personal data for immigration enforcement, and she has also conducted public outreach to help New Yorkers understand and comply with new federal work requirements so they do not lose food assistance due to confusion or administrative errors.

The letter was sent to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman John Boozman, and Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar. Joining Attorney General James in sending the letter are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.