WALDEN, NY – Congressman Pat Ryan hosted a community event at Crist Brothers Orchards in Walden to discuss recent federal policy changes affecting the Hudson Valley agricultural community.
Members of the Hudson Valley Ag community – including farmers, small business owners, researchers, distillers, and representatives from the food bank – joined Congressman Ryan to raise concerns about and discuss the impacts of recent Trump Administration policies. Among the topics discussed were USDA funding cuts, Ag research cuts, the “Big Beautiful Bill” kicking independent farmers off their Medicaid, and how tariffs are creating an existential threat to Hudson Valley small businesses.
According to Ryan’s office, Congressman Ryan was an early critic of USDA’s slashing of funds for food banks, and has consistently rallied against catastrophic cuts to food assistance with our local food bank. The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) – which partners local farms with food banks to serve food insecure populations – is facing a 50% cut, which will force the Hudson Valley branch of the Regional Food Bank to provide 2 million fewer meals than last year. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) also slashes Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by nearly $186 billion – taking food off the plates of hungry children, seniors, and veterans, as well as siphoning business from local, rural farms to large corporate farms. By kicking people off their SNAP benefits, by gutting TEFAP funding that helps food banks purchase locally-grown produce from independent farmers, the Trump administration is closing major markets for our farmers, who are losing out on real, once reliable income.
Additionally, by revoking SNAP benefits from previously eligible Americans, demand at food banks will surge despite their funding pools running dry.
Participants also discussed Medicaid access and eligibility requirements for self-employed farmers, expressing concern about the administrative burden and its potential impact on healthcare continuity and farm business operations.
The event served as a public forum for community members and agricultural stakeholders to share their perspectives on how changes to federal programs and policies may affect the agricultural economy and food security in the Hudson Valley.
