State Cuts Hunger Funding by 16% Despite Current Food Crisis

Governor Dave Patterson and the State Legislature slashed funding for emergency food programs by 16% in the state budget passed on April 9. The decision, which hunger advocates call “unconscionable,” was also avoidable. The State Assembly had previously introduced a plan that would secure funding for emergency food by calling for either evenhanded taxing of state residents earning over one million dollars a year, or by decreasing funds for state-supported corporate welfare. Emergency food programs that receive state funding have already been hit by food shortages and unprecedented demand. These cuts are the latest blow in the ongoing struggle to secure food the millions of New Yorkers who experience food insecurity, while government policies continue to fuel the wealth of rich New Yorkers. Said NYCCAH Executive Director Joel Berg, “Had the State simply accepted the Assembly proposal to restore adequate taxation to the very wealthiest state residents or had the State reduced corporate welfare, it could have had plenty of money left over for true priorities such as fighting hunger, improving education, and making health care affordable. Once again, the State has very distorted priorities.”