New York, Oct. 31 -- The U.S. state of New York on Thursday declared a state of emergency ahead of the suspension of federal food aid caused by the ongoing government shutdown.
At a news conference, Governor Kathy Hochul announced 65 million U.S. dollars in new state funds for emergency food assistance and promised to provide 40 million meals to New Yorkers.
The prolonged U.S. federal government shutdown is putting millions of people at risk of missing their food stamp benefits, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a vital lifeline for low-income households.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) told state agencies to hold off distributing November benefits "until further notice" because of ins...