Democratic members of New York’s Congressional delegation are urging Senate leadership to secure a two-year delay of the new state SNAP benefit cost-share requirement as the Senate’s version of the 2026 Farm Bill moves to the floor.
Historically, the federal government has covered the full cost of SNAP benefits. Under the 2025 budget reconciliation law, also known as “President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill,” states with higher SNAP payment error rates will be required to pay a portion of SNAP benefit costs.
The law establishes an up to 15% state contribution rate, depending on the state’s error rate.
U.S. Department of Agriculture FY2025 data put New York’s SNAP payment error rate at 13.18% — which is above the 10% threshold that triggers the maximum 15% state benefit contribution.
Senate Republicans have proposed a one-year delay of the state SNAP benefit cost-share requirement, which the letter from New York House Democrats calls “a step in the right direction.”
However, the authors argue that “it falls short of giving states enough time to improve payment error rates and adequately fund the program at the local level.”
The letter, first shared exclusively with Spectrum News, is co-authored by Queens Rep. Grace Meng and Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres. It bolsters support from some Senate Democrats to enact a two-year delay.
“Democrats have held firm that one year is not enough, and Senate Republicans should stop treating a fair runway as a concession to be negotiated down,” Torres told Spectrum News.
The letter acknowledges the intent of the bill’s authors to ensure that states have “skin in the game” when it comes to error rates, with the belief that it will lead to “improved oversight and reduced improper payments.
However, the letter’s authors argue that “a rushed implementation of this policy will not achieve that goal. It will undermine it.”
“States and counties are already absorbing the increased cost of SNAP administration, and many face the difficult choice of cutting the administrative staff, technology, and casework capacity that actually reduces errors,” the letter continued.
“Nearly 3 million New Yorkers, including many of my constituents, rely on programs like SNAP to put food on the table,” Meng told Spectrum News.
“This cost shift would hit New York especially hard, weaken SNAP, and threaten funding for other essential services,” she added.
The cost-share requirement comes in addition to a separate cut to federal administrative funding set to begin on Oct. 1.
Previously, the federal government and states split SNAP administrative costs 50/50. In October, states will be responsible for 75% of the costs.