The federal government shutdown and new work requirements will throw New York’s food stamps program into chaos, New York Focus reports.

It’s likely that people enrolled in SNAP will see a delay or not receive benefits for the month of November due to the ongoing government shutdown. | Photos: Ottojula/Wikimedia Commons; Oba San/Canva | Illustration: Leor Stylar

This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for their newsletter here.

If you’re one of the nearly 3 million New Yorkers currently enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, you are likely to see delays in your food benefits next month as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown. You may also be subject to new work requirements, which could cause hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to lose their benefits.

That could trigger a hunger crisis. The average enrolled New York household receives $376 per month from the program, which is also a significant source of revenue for the state’s retailers and farmers. Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing calls to fund food benefits during the shutdown, but she has so far said the state can’t afford to.

Here’s what you need to know.

Will I receive my November SNAP benefits?

It’s likely that you will see a delay or not receive your benefits next month due to the government shutdown.

The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1 over disagreements in Washington, D.C., over skyrocketing health insurance premiums. Until Congress strikes a deal, funding is frozen for programs like SNAP and food shipments for food banks. It’s not yet clear whether the Trump administration will later reimburse recipients for SNAP benefits they don’t receive in November.

Where can I get help with groceries?

For the latest snap developments, check this state website. The latest announcements for WIC can be found here. To locate your nearest food pantry or food bank, use this website. Local mutual aid groups in New York City and elsewhere in the state may also be offering assistance.

West Side Campaign Against Hunger in New York City is among several local organizations that will be providing more food to their clients in anticipation of snap disruptions. It has also expanded its delivery program in light of increased fears over immigration raids.

Local politicians’ offices may also be able to connect residents with local feeding resources and programs. You can look up your elected officials using this website. (Silverman also urged the public to contact their representatives and demand action.)

Food providers are aware that their efforts won’t be enough. “The value of SNAP is exponentially bigger than all the emergency feeding work that happens in NYC combined,” Silverman said. “Food pantries are not a substitute for SNAP. They never have been and they can’t be.”

Amie Parikh, chief executive officer for the Hudson Valley Care Coalition, agreed that there is no substitute for SNAP, but urged New Yorkers to tap into other existing programs they may not be aware of. As part of an ongoing state initiative, the Hudson Valley Social Care Network is currently screening Medicaid recipients in the region to connect them with free food and assistance with energy bills.

Many Medicaid recipients are enrolled in SNAP but may not be aware they qualify for this separate stream of nutritional assistance, which is funded through Medicaid, Parikh said. The program covers free, delivered medically tailored meals, cooking supplies and pantry items for certain Medicaid recipients.

What is New York doing in response?

New York is among 25 states suing the Trump administration for failing to use emergency contingency funds to keep SNAP running during the shutdown. (The administration had previously said it would keep SNAP benefits flowing during a shutdown, but has not done so.)

Hochul declared a state of emergency Thursday and committed over $106 million to support various food programs across the state that are expected to see increased demand while SNAP benefits are paused. The money includes a mix of new funding and fast-tracked grants that were already allocated to food providers for the upcoming calendar year.

Hochul plans to deploy student volunteers to help distribute food aid and has called on businesses to donate what they can. “This is a moment for our community to rise up and respond to something that can only be described as a moral crisis,” she said at a press conference Thursday.

Greg Silverman, who heads the West Side Campaign Against Hunger in New York City, urged city and state leaders to devise a more robust emergency plan to get aid directly to New Yorkers and support frontline food providers.

“They need to come together and come up with a solution that is cash-based,” he said. “We need our elected officials to step up and not just show up to some Thanksgiving turkey giveaway.” 

Hundreds of organizations are calling on state leaders to fully cover the funding loss—roughly $650 million in lost snap benefits per month—using New York’s sizable surplus or fiscal reserves. The Fiscal Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, points out the state could try to secure a deal with Congress to have these funds reimbursed by the federal government later.

“This is exactly what reserves should be used for,” said FPI economist Emily Eisner. “This will not put New York state in financial distress to cover the benefits.” She called on state lawmakers to convene in Albany immediately for an emergency session.

Other states have already stepped up. Virginia and Delaware have committed to covering SNAP benefits for their residents after declaring states of emergency. New Mexico will do the same for at least 10 days. California is pouring $80 million into its food bank network and has enlisted the help of the National Guard to keep facilities running, as it did during the pandemic.

What about the SNAP work requirements I’ve been hearing about?

Starting Nov. 1, some SNAP recipients will also be subject to new work requirements signed into law by President Donald Trump earlier this year. 

The announcement came as a surprise to states like New York, which originally had until next year to begin implementing the new requirements. Counties are now scrambling to communicate these changes to snap recipients, and it’s possible you may encounter some delays and confusion as agency staff adjust to the new guidelines.

Will I be subject to the work requirements?

The new rules may apply to you if you meet the following conditions:

Are an adult aged 18 to 64 

Do not live with dependents or children under age 14 

You aren’t disabled

You aren’t pregnant

The new mandate will also apply to veterans, the homeless, and aging foster youth who have been historically exempt from work requirements. 

Your county social service department should contact you soon if they determine you are subject to the new work rule requirements. Mailed notices for those living in New York City have begun going out and will outline the next steps you need to take. Other counties like Oswego and Erie are scheduling in-person orientations to notify residents of the changes, while those residing in Onondaga County may also receive automated calls in addition to formal notices.

To maintain SNAP benefits under the new work requirements, you’ll have to prove that you spent 80 hours each month working, in school or volunteering. (The monthly time requirement may be lower, based on the amount of SNAP benefits your household receives.) 

If you’re unable to comply with these requirements for more than three months, your SNAP benefits will be terminated.

How can I keep my SNAP benefits under the new work requirements?

While the new work rules go into effect on Nov. 1, the first month that will count toward the three-month limit starts on Dec. 1. This means that your SNAP benefits cannot be canceled due to the new three-month time limit before March 1, 2026. 

The state has instructed county social service departments to connect SNAP recipients with local programs that could help them meet the 80-hour monthly requirements, which could take the form of various workforce training programs or volunteer activities. New York is one of the few states that delegates SNAP administration to counties, so offerings may differ based on your county.

Scott French, who heads New York City’s Human Resources Administration, said his agency is doing all it can to ensure New Yorkers across the five boroughs are able to comply with the new requirements. “That’s our leading goal and mission in everything we’re setting up here, to make sure folks have every possibility to keep their benefits.”

The agency is in the process of scheduling appointments throughout November for New York City residents who are subject to the new work rules. The appointments will connect SNAP recipients with pre-approved workforce development programs that will help them satisfy the monthly requirement. 

The agency will also begin processing medical exemption forms for New Yorkers who are not able to meet the monthly requirements; the forms can be filled out by a wide variety of health providers. 

The new form will allow health providers to provide broad, non-specific reasons for why patients may be unable to meet the new SNAP work rules, such as temporary or permanent physical or mental health barriers. (It does not require a specific diagnosis, unlike disability benefits.)

If you’re a New York City resident without access to health care providers, the Human Resources Administration will connect you with professionals who can assess you for medical exemptions, French said.

Does my immigration status affect my eligibility for SNAP?

The new law passed in July restricts SNAP eligibility to “legally present” immigrants. 

This means that refugees and asylum-seekers may no longer be eligible for SNAP benefits. This includes New Yorkers who are trafficking victims and those with temporary protected status.

Legal permanent residents, such as green card holders, remain eligible for SNAP, but may be subject to a five-year waiting period before they can receive benefits. 

An estimated 41,000 New Yorkers could lose their SNAP benefits as a result of eligibility changes based on immigration status.

How will the shutdown affect my other benefits?

It’s not yet clear how the shutdown will affect the Women, Infants, Children program, or WIC, which provides nutritional assistance for nearly half a million pregnant women, new mothers, and their babies in New York.

Earlier this month, the White House used emergency funds to keep the program funded through the end of October—which advocates point out the administration could easily do for the SNAP program, too. An additional $300 million is needed to keep WIC running for the first half of November, but it’s unclear if the administration will do so again.

If you rely on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP, to heat your home, you could see those benefits delayed or missing due to the shutdown. HEAP has been in limbo since earlier this year, when all federal staff for the program were let go. Many New Yorkers are enrolled in both SNAP and HEAP.

Medicaid and Medicare benefits will continue during the shutdown, though reduced federal staffing may make it harder to get help with tasks like eligibility verification.

Can I still apply for benefits?

Yes. All county agencies across the state are still processing applications, including renewals, for SNAP, WIC, and HEAP. Officials and advocates are urging New Yorkers to stay up to date on their renewals for these programs, despite the pause in payouts, to ensure they receive their benefits once the federal government reopens.

The post SNAP Is Set To Be Frozen in November. Here’s What New Yorkers Need to Know. appeared first on City Limits.

By JON GAMBRELL

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. national intelligence director told officials Friday in the Mideast that America’s former strategy of “regime change or nation building” had ended under President Donald Trump.

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Tulsi Gabbard ’s comments before the Manama Dialogue, an annual security summit in Bahrain put on by the International Institute for Security Studies, underlines remarks Trump offered on a trip earlier this year to the Middle East.

In Trump’s second term, previous American goals of fostering human rights and democracy promotion in the region have been replaced by an emphasis on economic prosperity and regional stability. That includes securing a ceasefire that has halted the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, as well as forcing an end to Israel’s 12-day war on Iran after sending American bombers to attack Iranian nuclear sites.

“For decades, our foreign policy has been trapped in a counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation building,” said Gabbard, a former Congresswoman from Hawaii and U.S. Army National Guard veteran.

“It was a one-size-fits-all approach, of toppling regimes, trying to impose our system of governance on others, intervene in conflicts that were barely understood and walk away with more enemies than allies.”

She added: “The results: Trillions spent, countless lives lost and in many cases, the creation of greater security threats.”

That assessment mirrors Trump’s own thinking about the wars that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on New York and Washington. He reached a deal in his first term to withdraw from Afghanistan, which in the Biden administration became a chaotic departure in 2021. Meanwhile, he’s embraced Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaida fighter once held in an American prison in Iraq.

But serious challenges remain, particularly in the Middle East. Gabbard noted in her brief remarks that the ceasefire in Gaza remained “fragile.” She also acknowledged Iran remained a concern as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said renewed movement has been detected recently at the country’s nuclear sites.

“The road ahead will not be simple or easy but the president is very committed down this road,” said Gabbard, who attended the event as a government shutdown grinds on back home.

An Associated Press journalist had been accredited and issued a visa to cover the summit, but the Bahraini government late Wednesday said it had been rescinded as it was conducting a “post-approval review” of that permission. The government did not elaborate on why the visa was revoked. Earlier that day, the AP published a story on long-detained activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja beginning an “open-ended” hunger strike in Bahrain over his internationally criticized imprisonment.

Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin did not offer any out clauses or caveats when asked if he would give head coach John Hynes a vote of confidence earlier this week.

“He’s not going anywhere,” Guerin said. At the time, the Wild had lost four in a row.

When the team closed October with a come-from-ahead home loss to Pittsburgh and the losing streak hit five, that endorsement by Hynes’ boss was promptly ignored by a small but vocal segment of the fanbase that seems to always have the torches and pitchforks at the ready.

“The coach is toast,” one posted on social media. Others called for a boycott of the team until changes are made. And some want Guerin’s head to roll, as well, after a coaching change is made.

One of the primary jobs for Guerin and Hynes is to cast aside all of that noise and run this team like the billion dollar business it is. That’s not just hyperbole. In a recent estimate of every NHL team’s value by Forbes, the Wild were pegged as being worth $1.55 billion. But if the seat upon which Hynes sits is getting hotter as the Minnesota weather gets colder, the coach’s past success, and the high expectations that winning produced, are partially to blame.

Less than 11 months ago, with a roster largely the same as this year’s, the Wild beat the Ducks in Anaheim, 5-1, to improve to 18-4-4. Minnesota, in its first full season under Hynes, had the best record in the NHL, and the best start in franchise history.

The 2024-25 season devolved into a mess of injuries. Kirill Kaprizov would miss half of the regular season. Mats Zuccarello and Jared Spurgeon missed a month each. Joel Eriksson Ek missed 36 games. Jonas Brodin missed 32. After that eye-popping start, the Wild needed a dramatic goal in the final half-minute of the regular season just to make the playoffs.

They didn’t stay long in the postseason, falling to Vegas in six games, but not before taking a 2-1 series lead and coming within a one-inch toe of Gustav Nyquist’s skate from flying back to Minnesota with a 3-2 series lead.

There were no eye-popping free agent moves over the summer, despite a notion that with money to spend, Minnesota would load up on July 1. They got veteran Vladimir Tarasenko for little in return, and he has scored one goal in the first dozen games. They signed faceoff specialist Nico Sturm, who has been injured and has an uncertain future following back surgery.

It doesn’t help that Zuccarello (lower body) has yet to play in a game this season.

But with Kaprizov locked up to the richest contract in NHL history, and top goalie Filip Gustavsson signed long term, there was a quiet expectation that another hot start and 41 fun-filled nights at the newly-renamed Grand Casino Arena were coming. A decisive 5-0 win in St. Louis on the opening night of the regular season only deepened that fanbase confidence.

Since that triumphant night in the Show Me State, the Wild are 2-6-3 and have shown very little to anyone. At their current pace of winning three out of every 12 games, the franchise’s 18th victory of the season would come on March 24, not Dec. 6 like it did a season ago.

“I think we have to get rid of last season in general,” Wild winger Marcus Foligno said Thursday. He has no goals or assists through his first 11 games.

“It’s not even close right now. It’s frustrating,” he said. “You know, last year’s last year. There’s new guys in the lineup. Every year brings something different. Right now we’re going through it. For whatever reason, it’s just mellow and vanilla right now. So, it’s not good enough.”

It’s common for Minnesota fans to be nostalgic for the good times. Recent reunions of former Wild players have, almost to a man, focused on the team’s unlikely 2003 run to the Western Conference Final. Vikings fans still dream of 1998 and what could have been had Gary Anderson stayed perfect for the season. Twins fans still come to the ballpark wearing vintage 1991 gear.

But it is now November 2025, and flashbacks to the good times a year ago will do nothing to clean up the early season mess the Wild find themselves in.

“Every year presents different challenges. You don’t pick (up) where you left off last year,” Hynes said after Thursday’s loss to Pittsburgh. “There’s four to five months in between the seasons, and there’s different dynamics to your team, and then you commit. Right now, we haven’t found that regularly. And that’s something that we’ve got to do.”

And soon.

The Wild were only three points out of a playoff spot Friday morning, with nearly the entire season ahead of them — 67 games starting Saturday against Vancouver. But this team knows better than most how much a team’s start, good or bad, can influence an entire season.

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By JUSTIN SPIKE, Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday that he would try to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to grant Hungary exemptions from Washington’s newly announced sanctions targeting Russian oil when he meets with the president next week.

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The Trump administration unveiled sanctions against Russia’s major state-affiliated oil firms Rosneft and Lukoil last week, a move that could expose their foreign buyers — including customers in India, China and Central Europe — to secondary sanctions.

While most European Union member states sharply reduced or halted imports of Russian fossil fuels after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Hungary and Slovakia have maintained their pipeline deliveries. Hungary has even increased the share of Russian oil in its energy mix.

Orbán, a Trump ally who is expected to visit Washington next week for his first bilateral meeting with the president since he retook office in January, has long argued that landlocked Hungary has no viable alternatives to Russian crude, and that replacing those supplies would trigger an economic collapse. Critics dispute that claim.

“We have to make the Americans understand this strange situation if we want exceptions to the American sanctions that are hitting Russia,” Orbán said in comments Friday to state radio.

The Hungarian leader, widely considered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest partner in the EU, has maintained warm relations with the Kremlin, despite the war, and has taken a combative stance toward Ukraine, portraying the neighboring country as a major threat to Hungary’s security and economy.

Orbán said Friday that both the U.S. administration and Moscow were seeking an end to the war, but that Ukraine and the EU were the primary impediments to peace. However, a planned meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest was recently scrapped after Russian officials made clear they opposed an immediate ceasefire in the conflict.

Orbán said that he would be accompanied to Washington by a “large delegation” of ministers, economic officials and security advisers aimed at “a complete review” of U.S.-Hungarian relations. He said that Budapest hopes to finalize an economic cooperation package with the U.S., including new American investments in Hungary.

But any deal, he stressed, depends on securing Hungary’s continued access to Russian energy.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine