CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN LEADS HUDSON VALLEY COMMUNITY SPEAK OUT AGAINST TRUMP CUTTING 2 MILLION MEALS FROM HUNGRY KIDS, VETERANS, AND SENIORS
Congressman Pat Ryan Leads Hudson Valley Community Speak Out Against Trump Cutting 2 MILLION Meals From Hungry Kids, Veterans, and Seniors
Trump’s Department of Agriculture announced a massive cut to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), slashing the program’s funding in half through the end of the year
Food shipments to Regional Food Bank Hudson Valley, which feeds roughly 170,000 community members a month, have already stopped; the food bank is projected to distribute 2 million fewer meals in 2025 due to the cuts
After Congressman Ryan raised the alarm on the catastrophic impact of the cuts, Trump Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins baselessly called the cuts “fake news,” prompting Ryan to invite her to Montgomery today to see for herself
In the last two months, Ryan has led Community Speak Outs on protecting Social Security, saving the inpatient care unit at Castle Point VA, and, most recently, threats to Medicaid and health care in the Hudson Valley
MONTGOMERY, NY – Today, Congressman Pat Ryan led the Hudson Valley community – including farmers, faith leaders, educators and elected officials – in a Speak Out against devastating funding cuts to Regional Food Bank Hudson Valley.
Trump’s Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a massive funding cut to the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), slashing the program’s budget in half and cancelling shipments through the end of the year. Food shipments to the Hudson Valley Regional Food Bank, which feeds roughly 170,000 community members a month, have already stopped. Due to the cuts, Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster Counties alone are on track to distribute 2 million fewer meals in 2025.
The group gathered at the Regional Food Bank’s new Montgomery facility, which was set to double the organization’s local food storage capacity. Their shelves are now half empty. A link to livestream is included here.
Today’s speakers included:
- Tom Nardacci, CEO, Regional Food Bank
- Jeff Crist, Crist Orchards
- Cristina Saito, Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan & Ulster Counties
- Marcy Manheim, Garnet Health
- Christine Hein, Executive Director, People’s Place, Kingston
- Assemblyman Brian Maher
- Assemblyman Chris Eachus
- Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson
“Trump’s cuts at USDA are absolutely devastating for Hudson Valley families. Two million fewer meals in our district alone – that’s our kids, seniors, and veterans going hungry. That’s our family farms being hurt,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “Our Hudson Valley community is standing up with one voice, and we are urging Trump with everything we’ve got to hear our call. Put country before politics, reverse these cuts immediately, and restore the food shipments to put money back in farmers’ pockets and nutritious meals back on families’ tables.”
Tom Nardacci, CEO of the Regional Food Bank, said his agency expects to lose 200 tractor-trailers delivering an estimated 8 million pounds of produce, dairy products and other food: "Last year we received over 400 tractor trailers of food from the USDA. All that food was distributed. This year, 27 tractor trailers of USDA food have already been cancelled. That's 954,000 pounds of food that's been cancelled. This definitely means people will suffer. That's the truth."
“The need at the Regional Food Bank and our more than 1,000 agency partners continues to increase," continued Nardacci, "Our focus is to meet this rising need, while searching for options to address the cuts we are witnessing from the USDA. We are working with our retail partners to rescue more food, collaborating with our New York farmers and producers to source more products and asking our donors for additional resources. In the food bank industry, we are accustomed to challenges and will find a way to meet the growing need for our neighbors."
“Administrations may come and go, but what remains constant — and is in fact growing — is the demand for our services. At People’s Place, we are on the front lines, supporting households facing food insecurity,” said Christine Hein, Executive Director, People’s Place Kingston. “Every day, we see new faces: individuals and families who never imagined they’d need our help. The number of families relying on us is increasing rapidly. To cut funding now, at such a critical juncture, would be a serious misstep — one that will ripple across our entire community, affecting not just those in immediate need, but the broader fabric of support and stability we all rely on.”
“These cuts aren’t just devastating for families who rely on the Food Bank – it’s taking a crucial source of income from farms across the Country” said Jeff Crist of Crist Bros. Orchards. “I’ve partnered with the food bank for years, and know our farming community quite well. If these cuts are not reversed, kids will go hungry and farmers will be hurt. Those are the stakes, and that’s why I’m proud to join Congressman Ryan in pushing for this funding to be restored immediately!”
“Our partnership with the food bank is critical to ensuring long-term, positive health outcomes for our food-insecure patients,” said Marcy Manheim, Administrator of Marketing & Corporate Communications at Garnet Health. “Cutting food assistance will impact our community in ways people may not even realize, with significant negative effects on our patients, especially those with chronic health conditions. We don’t just supply food to discharged patients who are underserved with nutritional needs; we also connect them with community resources. If food supply programs are cut, it will directly affect access to much-needed nutritional items like proteins, fruits, and vegetables, which are essential to supporting the long-term health of this vulnerable population.”
“My thanks to Congressman Pat Ryan for spotlighting this extremely important issue. The work done at the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley alleviates hunger, nourishes kids, and gives our hard-working neighbors breathing room when times are tough,” said State Senator James Skoufis. “I have been proud to regularly support state funding in support of this mission, but massive federal cuts threaten the ability of this organization to do its vital work. It is a sad day in America when funding for corporate giveaways takes priority over feeding hungry children.”
“Congressman Ryan and I won’t agree on everything but on this issue we know any cuts to these vital programs will negatively impact our food bank and local pantries,” said Assemblyman Brian Maher. “In the spirit of Pope Francis we must ensure we advocate to take care of our most vulnerable populations. This country voted for and wants to cut federal spending and eliminate fraud, corruption and waste. These cuts are not that. This funding is essential to continue fighting food insecurity. I will continue working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle, including Congressman Ryan, to address this issue.”
“In a time when inflation and the cost of living are squeezing families, cutting TEFAP makes no sense,” said Assemblyman Karl Brabenec. We should be looking for ways to make government more efficient, not pulling support from a program that helps New York families.”
“Food banks are lifelines in our communities, and Regional Food Bank Hudson Valley represents one of the top services in our region,” said Assemblymember Christopher Eachus. “To take this critical funding away is to literally take food away from children; to take away their right to have access to healthy homes. These funding cuts will be disastrous to families in our region, and will cause irreversible harm to children across the Hudson Valley. I am proud to stand here with Congressman Pat Ryan and my colleagues today to demand this funding be returned to where it belongs.”
“Regional food banks are lifelines, and funding for these crucial services should be the last place we look to cut, especially when so many people in the Hudson Valley rely on them to survive,” said Assembly Member Paula Elaine Kay. “We cannot keep calling ourselves the greatest country on earth if we fail to ensure our neighbors have access to this most basic human need. I stand with our regional food banks and Congressman Ryan in strong opposition to any cuts to The Emergency Food Assistance Program, and I will do everything in my power to ensure these services receive the support they need to deliver the best outcomes for those who depend on them.”
Of the 20 million pounds of TEFAP foods distributed by the Regional Food Bank last year, more than 4.8 million pounds–equating to roughly 4 million meals–were distributed across Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster Counties. In 2025, because of Trump’s USDA cuts, the food bank predicts a 49% drop in TEFAP foods, leaving them able to provide only 25 meals per food insecure resident to last year’s 48 meals. Overall, this will constitute 2 million fewer meals provided in 2025 than in 2024. Additionally, the food loads being cut include most of the food bank’s nutritious stock, including proteins like meats and cheeses, milk, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables.
The food bank’s Hudson Valley branch recently opened a new distribution facility in Montgomery, Orange County. The 50,000 square foot facility doubles the organization’s food storage capacity, and makes it easier to distribute food locally to the 170,000 people per month in the Hudson Valley who rely on the food bank’s services. The Montgomery location is also helping to foster more local partnerships between small farmers and the food bank as well as local food pantries and other distributors. The new facility opened its doors in December, and its vast empty shelves come as more and more people are turning to the charitable food system in response to rising costs.
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