For Immediate Release:
October 31, 2025
Contact: Andrew Kirtzman, akirtzman@actumllc.com
FPWA Condemns SNAP Benefits Pause
CEO Jennifer Jones Austin speaks on threats to New York families, small businesses, and community food systems
NEW YORK, NY — The federal government’s pause of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits is a moral failure and direct assault on the dignity, health, and stability of millions of Americans, said Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of FPWA and Co-Chair of the National True Cost of Living Coalition in a statement released today.
“In New York City alone, the loss of SNAP benefits will destabilize entire communities, weaken local economies, and exacerbate racial and economic inequities,” said Jones Austin. “When government retreats from its duty to serve the American people, the human and economic costs ripple far beyond the dinner table.”
With nearly 3 million New Yorkers — including 1 million children — relying on SNAP benefits, FPWA’s latest research, “The True Cost of Economic Security: Policy Implications for New York City” underscores that this pause will worsen the affordability crisis already underway, where more than 62 percent of residents are economically insecure and lack the resources needed to cover their daily needs and save and plan for the future. In communities where the great majority of households are economically insecure, such as the Bronx where 78 percent of families with children struggle financially, the shutdown pause will starve both the people who rely on SNAP benefits and the small business owners and local economy that serve them. Corner stores, bodegas, and neighborhood grocers whose customers depend upon EBT payments for purchases will acutely and quickly feel the effects on their businesses and within their own families.
“Dismantling the programs that keep people fed is economically shortsighted and morally indefensible,” said Jones Austin. “It is not that we lack the resources to feed and support our people; it is that we have chosen not to prioritize them.”
The pause in SNAP benefits aligns with the federal government’s ongoing attacks on vulnerable communities, the human services sector, and the overall rule of law. Refusing to distribute already-allocated funds unjustly harms individuals and families struggling under the weight of economic insecurity and strains the economy for all. FPWA and Jones Austin call on federal, state, and city leaders to restore and expand SNAP benefits, strengthen community-based food systems, and develop policies rooted in economic security.
While food pantries will play a critical role in keeping New Yorkers fed until benefits are restored, they alone cannot possibly shoulder the responsibility. “Charitable systems cannot and should not be expected to replace public safety nets,” Jones Austin continued. “When government fails to act, it shifts the burden onto everyday people who are themselves fighting to survive.”
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The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) is a leading anti-poverty, social policy and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening human services organizations and faith institutions and advancing economic opportunity and justice for New Yorkers with low incomes. Since 1922, FPWA has driven groundbreaking policy reforms to better serve those in need. We work to dismantle the structural and systemic barriers that impede economic security and well-being, and we strengthen the capacity of human services agencies and faith organizations so New Yorkers with lower incomes can thrive and live with dignity.
