Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Announces Nearly $200 Million in Food Assistance Going to 1.5 Million Children Across New York

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York has issued nearly $200 million in food assistance to more than 1.5 million low-income children as part of the new Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) program. New York is sending $120 per child to eligible families to help pay for healthy meals. Some eligible families have already begun to receive this assistance and the benefits will continue to be sent in the coming weeks. Governor Hochul also highlighted that more assistance is available, and the State expects approximately 2 million children will qualify to receive this benefit. New Yorkers are encouraged to learn more about eligibility and apply before the September 3 deadline.

VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.

AUDIO of the Governor’s remarks is available.

PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Good morning. Who woke up hungry today? A lot of little kids do. In a state as prosperous as New York, we have children waking up hungry. And when kids grow up hungry, they can face — not just that immediate sense of yearning and feeling unsatisfied, and a distraction because they can't focus — it also can lead to a decade of health issues. Everything from chronic depression to health disease. And so, making sure that our kids get the nutrition they need to grow up healthy and strong is one of my top priorities. No child should ever, ever go hungry because the cost of living was just too damn high for their parents and their families.

And their parents face a terrible choice. Often in our own City — blocks from here — trying to figure out how to pay the rent, get the groceries, feed the kids. And I walk this City every day. Every single day. I noticed two things as I was walking to my breakfast this morning: one — I swear there's a baby boom going on. Everybody I'm seeing is pushing a baby in a stroller. Moms and dads and caregivers, so, that's a joyful thing. But two — I also walk into grocery stores, do my shopping, and my jaw drops when I see the cost of groceries right here in our City and across the State of New York.

A tube of toothpaste. I picked it up — this was not the largest size — mid-size was $14.99. $15 for a tube of toothpaste. You know how fast that goes when you've got a big family? You know what I'm talking about. And I also know that when babies are little, they're really expensive, right? Okay. I could not wait until I had to leave my job because we didn't have any child care, my husband was a government worker, just starting out, two little kids, very close in age — I'm Irish, that's what we do. And I could not wait until we could get the kids out of diapers and formula, because those two combined — and I'd run out to the suburbs and try to stock up the car with all the, you know, the large sizes to cut down the cost — and I said, we're going to be rich when we're done with diapers and formula, you know that. We're going to feel rich.

So, now as a grandma of a little two-year-old — I know what families are going through. They're constantly outgrowing their clothes. And I'll tell you this: when I learned that our child tax credit only covered four-year-olds and up, I said, “Who makes up laws like that? Clearly not parents, because you know they're outgrowing everything every three months.” The clothes say three to six months, right? Then it's six to nine months. They're doing that because the babies are growing. And when they start walking, the sneakers and the cost of getting kids ready for school and food becomes a real burden for people. And it’s just It's too much for our families right now. And sometimes you just have to stand up and say, “What is going on here?”

And so, today, I'm going to be updating you on some of the initiatives that we're using to fight the rising cost of living and to keep New York's children from going hungry. And I want to acknowledge my partners in this effort. We have extraordinary leaders here. I want to thank Michelle for welcoming us here, this is not my first visit, not my second visit.

Councilmember Carlina Rivera and I have been here a number of times, right? Where's our councilmember? We've been here a number of times and the energy we get when the girls gather, and we have a chance to look them in the eye and talk about all the possibilities that lie ahead of them — I want to thank you for joining me here many, many times.

We also are very fortunate to have our member of Congress here, and he'll be — you’ll be hearing from Dan Goldman about the federal government's role in making sure we have the money we need here to provide resources for our families. Let's give a round of applause to Congressman Dan Goldman.

My partners in state government, Senator Brian Kavanagh, and Assemblymember Harvey Epstein — two great leaders and champions for their district. You'll be hearing from Rachel Sabella, the Director of No Kid Hungry New York. I like the sound of that, No Kid Hungry, Rachel – I like your branding there. Sunni Rudd, the parent and instructor of ‘GrownUp and Me.’ And also, I hope we get to meet little Robyn — Robyn's here, Robyn's asleep. Okay, alright. Number one rule of being a parent: never wake a sleeping baby, right? Never, ever.

And Jenny Dombrow and Michelle, as I mentioned. We also have our Commissioner Barbara Guinn here oversees this for us and many, many others who've joined us. This is a team effort, right? This is a team effort. Not one person, not one organization, not one elected official can do this alone. We are collective in our efforts to fight for New York families. And I mentioned this a lot, but I'm going to say it again. As New York's first mom governor, I know what this is all about, and I know that I — tracking inflation, the cost of groceries are up 23 percent — and it's just putting too much on our families.

So, today, I'm announcing we're sending $200 million in summer EBT funds to over 1.5 million children across the State of New York – that'll deliver $120 per child, food assistance, and here's the issue: there are still hundreds of thousands of kids who are eligible and their parents have not taken advantage of this, right? They don't know. It's hard. It's bureaucracy. How do we figure this out?

We're going to have the applications open until September 3rd for more assistance. Please help us get that message out. Help our families get this money because they need it. They need it. So, working parents go to ny.gov/SummerEBT. I'll say that again, ny.gov/SummerEBT and see if you're eligible. And also, it's easy to apply, right? People don't know that. Government must be hard. I'm not going to do it, right? We're changing government.

We're making it easier for people, making people who are eligible for one assistance program eligible for others automatically. That's how you start making life easier for our families. It's also another example of how we're putting money back in the pockets of working families, working New Yorkers.

And this summer alone, the cumulative effect of what we're doing in child care, nutrition programs, tax credits — we're putting over $500 billion in direct assistance back to families in need just this summer alone. That's how you start making a difference in a place like New York, so that families who are both eligible for Summer EBT and our tax credit could receive as much as $450 per child.

Three children, four children, $450 per child in the coming weeks. That's how you start lifting families up, and we're going to keep doing that together. This is a positive impact, this is positive for our families. And as a result, families can worry a little less about what they have to do for our kids, and feeding them and the cost of child care.

Anybody know what the cost of child care is? Oh, I don't know how people do it. I don't know how people do it. Two children, you know — an infant and a toddler, $27,000 for child care on average. For many families, it's $350 a week.

Here's what we just did. I want to make sure everybody knows this. A family of four earning $108,000 a year, $108,000 a year — If you're below that threshold, your child care expenses will no longer be $350 a week on average, they'll be capped at $15.

Let that sink in. Let that sink in, and what that does — capped at $15. That's a real difference in people's lives. So, this year — this fall, right now — the checks are going out. The assistance is there.

We're helping struggling families because we know that it's now time to start buying that new pair of sneakers, and buying all the supplies, and buying the backpacks — and the new clothes that the kids want to wear. Don't worry about buying them cell phones, that's another topic. I couldn't help it.

This is what government does. This is why government can make a difference. When government works together at the state, federal, local levels, this is what we can do. And I do want to give another thanks — to people like Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and our Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. And here we have our great Congressman Dan Goldman who helped make this happen.

So, I want to thank all of you for being the true believers. The fighters out there, knowing who we have their backs — and I want them, everyone to know that. We're fighting for New Yorkers. The families that come through here, the families that live in this neighborhood, the families who live all over the state of New York — because they deserve champions.

All of you are champions, and I'm really proud to have this announcement with all of you here today. Thank you very much, everyone. With that, Congressman Dan Goldman.