Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on the announcement that New York State will preserve about $457 million a year in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits that would otherwise have been eliminated as a result of the federal Farm Bill.

“I am pleased to learn that the people of New York State will be spared the misery of reductions in food assistance, a program that allows millions of children, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities to eat,” said Congresswoman Clarke. “Unfortunately, people in other states will almost certainly lose access to food assistance as a result of the Farm Bill, which included billions of dollars in subsidies for multi-national corporations. We know that, because of this bill, many children around the United States will arrive at school without eating breakfast and many families will have to skip meals. This is why I opposed the Farm Bill and voted against it.”

New York State will prevent reductions in SNAP benefits by allocating $6 million in heating assistance, allowing households that currently receive food assistance to continue at their current level of eligibility. The funding will be used to increase the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) benefit of SNAP recipients in certain living situations for whom heat is included in the rent. By receiving the higher HEAP benefit, these households will remain eligible for the highest SNAP allowance for their energy costs, which enables them to continue receiving SNAP benefits at the level for which they are currently eligible.

U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Ethics, and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.