Federal Update

Budget

Federal agencies are operating under (yet) another Continuing Resolution, with a new funding deadline of March 1 for some departments and agencies, including USDA, and March 8 for the remaining departments. The Appropriations Committees are now in the process of allocating money to different programs. There is no action to take at this time, but there may be necessary opportunities for you to reach out to your members of Congress as things progress and once the text of a negotiated Agriculture Appropriations bill is released. Please keep a close eye on your email and on our social media pages for any time-sensitive action alerts.

Farm Bill

As a refresher, the 2018 Farm Bill has been extended through September 2024. Congress is eager to move the bill forward in the first quarter of this session, which is dependent on Congress being able to pass the funding bills to pave the way for the Farm Bill. 

State Update

The Governor’s proposed budget was released in mid-January, and unfortunately it doesn’t contain the funding levels and program expansions we were hoping for. It would keep Nourish New York at the same funding level ($50M, we want an increase to $75M) and cut funding to HPNAP by $22M (executive budget proposes funding at $34.5M, it’s currently funded at $56.5M, we want it funded at $64M). It also doesn’t include funds to fully implement universal school meals.

While this is disappointing, we can turn our focus to influencing the legislature and their draft budgets. Now is the time to take that action step to advocate for increasing funding for HPNAP, Nourish New York, and SNAP. Please take a moment and complete the click-to-actions below to let your elected officials know that these programs are a priority. They need to hear this message from as many people as possible! We’re in a critical time for advocacy where we need to secure this additional funding from the legislature, and that only happens through advocacy. We also have posters available with a QR code linking to the click-to-action for HPNAP, NNY, and raising the SNAP minimum benefit. You can download and print from the Advocacy Resources or reach out to our Agency Relations team or myself.