Congressman Pat Ryan is criticizing the Trump Administration for slashing funding to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), warning the move could cause severe food shortages in the Hudson Valley. The USDA, led by Secretary Brooke Rollins, has cut TEFAP shipments in half through 2025, leading to an expected loss of two million meals for residents in Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster Counties. In a press release, Ryan demanded Rollins reinstate the funds immediately.
“I had to read this five times before I believed it,” Ryan wrote. “We’re all already feeling the crunch of the affordability crisis, which is made immeasurably worse by Trump’s tariffs. Now he’s ripping food away from hungry children – it’s absolutely disgusting.
“170,000 of our neighbors rely on the food bank every month. That’s families going hungry. That’s kids, veterans, and seniors going hungry. That’s farmers going out of business. We need our entire Hudson Valley community to join together with one voice and demand that Trump and Secretary Rollins reverse this decision and restore critical funding immediately.”
The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, which serves 170,000 people monthly, anticipates a nearly 50% drop in distributed meals this year. Key food items like meats, dairy, and produce are among those most affected.
Ryan and local food bank leaders are urging the federal government to restore the funding, citing increased demand and growing food insecurity. Despite opening a larger distribution facility in Montgomery, Orange County, the food bank is facing shortages due to the cuts.
New York operates one of the most expansive — and expensive — state-level food assistance systems in the country, with programs like Nourish NY and HPNAP actively supporting food banks and farm-to-food-bank pipelines. Though TEFAP is not the primary source of food for the state’s food banks, their contributions are considered essential by state officials. With inflation and housing costs acting as primary drivers of food insecurity in the region, the Trump cuts — made in the name of fiscal responsibility — deepen the challenge of feeding New York’s most needy.
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