What SNAP Changes Mean for NY-23 Families
Why This Matters for NY-23
One in eight Steuben County residents receives SNAP. The CBO projects $295 billion in SNAP cuts over 10 years — the largest reduction in nearly 30 years. Work requirements are expanding to ages 18-64 in a county with 16% poverty, seasonal agricultural employment, and no public transit. Steuben County’s own manager confirmed the bill “will result in Steuben County getting less money.” When the representative who voted for this says “not a single dollar” was cut, someone isn’t telling the full story.
What SNAP does in a rural district
In NY-23, SNAP is food between harvests. It is how a 62-year-old who worked dairy for thirty years and blew out a knee feeds himself while looking for lighter work. It is how a single parent in Corning stretches a paycheck that doesn’t quite cover rent and groceries in the same month. It is how an elderly widow in Wellsville eats when her Social Security check runs out on the 20th.
One in eight Steuben County residents receives SNAP. The representative who voted for the bill that cuts it says “not a single dollar” has been cut. Here is what the numbers actually show.
Three ways the bill reduces food assistance
1. Benefits fall behind food prices
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act restricts USDA’s ability to update SNAP benefit calculations to keep pace with rising food costs. The CBO projects this will reduce SNAP spending by $295 billion over 10 years — a 30% reduction and the largest cut in nearly 30 years.
What this means locally: When grocery prices at the Tops in Bath or the Aldi in Hornell go up, benefits won’t follow. The same card buys less food each year.
2. Work requirements expand — but jobs don’t
The bill extends work requirements from ages 18-49 to ages 18-64 and narrows exemptions for caregivers. The Urban Institute estimates 5.4 million people could lose benefits monthly.
What this means locally: Steuben County has a 16% poverty rate, seasonal agricultural employment, and no public transit system. A 55-year-old in Woodhull can’t bus to an 80-hour-a-month job that doesn’t exist within driving distance. The bill assumes urban job markets. NY-23 doesn’t have one.
3. Counties pay more to run the program
The federal share of SNAP administrative costs drops from 50% to 25% starting FY2027. WSKG reports Steuben County projects a loss of up to $5 million in SNAP administration funds between 2026 and 2027.
What this means locally: Steuben County must either raise local taxes to cover the gap, or reduce the staff that processes SNAP applications — meaning fewer people available to help residents navigate a program with more restrictive eligibility requirements.
What Steuben County’s own government says
The people who actually run these programs in Steuben County have been direct:
County Manager Jack Wheeler (August 7, 2025 HHS Committee meeting): “The Big Beautiful Bill will result in Steuben County getting less money coming in from the federal SNAP program.”
Legislature Chair Kelly H. Fitzpatrick (October 30, 2025 letter to Langworthy): “SNAP and HEAP are lifelines for families, seniors, and individuals meeting their most basic needs — food and heat.”
No public response from Langworthy to the county’s concerns has been documented.
Steuben County by the numbers
| Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| SNAP recipients (2022) | 11,459 |
| Share of population | 12.3% — 1 in 8 residents |
| County poverty rate | ~16% |
| Projected admin fund loss (2026-2027) | Up to $5 million |
| Monthly benefit exposure during shutdown | $2.2 million |
| FeedMore WNY demand increase (2024) | +16% |
What “not a single dollar cut” actually means
Langworthy’s defense relies on a technical distinction: the maximum SNAP benefit level doesn’t formally decrease.
But the CBO — the nonpartisan agency whose job is to score what bills actually cost — documents $295 billion in reduced spending. That money disappears through three mechanisms:
- Benefit freeze: Benefits don’t keep pace with food prices
- Eligibility cuts: Millions lose access through expanded work requirements and tighter rules
- Administrative barriers: Counties have less capacity to process applications
If the government spends $295 billion less on food assistance over 10 years, and millions of people lose access, that is a cut — regardless of whether the maximum benefit level technically stays the same.
Verdict: FALSE — The CBO documents $295 billion in SNAP spending reductions. The county’s own government confirms the local impact.
What is still unaddressed
| Need | Status |
|---|---|
| Protection of SNAP funding levels | County warned of $5M loss; representative voted for the cuts |
| Rural work requirement exemptions | No accommodation for seasonal/agricultural employment patterns |
| Administrative cost gap | Counties face 50%-to-25% federal cost share reduction with no replacement |
| Food bank capacity | Demand up 16% before cuts take effect; no additional support documented |
| Response to county officials | Fitzpatrick letter and Wheeler warning — no documented reply |
For the complete, sourced analysis of the SNAP claim with full CBO data and policy detail, see: SNAP Benefits: Claiming ‘Not a Single Dollar Cut’
Sources
- CBO: “Budgetary Effects of H.R. 1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (May 2025)
- Urban Institute: “SNAP Work Requirements Analysis” (2025)
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “House Reconciliation Bill Would Cut SNAP for Millions” (2025)
- Steuben County HHS Committee: Jack Wheeler statement (August 7, 2025)
- Steuben County Legislature: Chair Fitzpatrick letter (October 30, 2025)
- WSKG: Steuben County SNAP administration funding impact reporting
- FRED/Census: Steuben County SNAP recipient data (2022)
- FeedMore WNY: Annual report (2024)
- Governor Hochul’s office: OBBBA state-level impact projections
- Congressional Record: H.R. 1 vote (218-214, July 3, 2025)
Note: This summary draws entirely from the sourced analysis in the full SNAP fact-check. All findings are based on CBO data, county government proceedings, and public records.
Last updated: February 9, 2026