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Brooklyn bodegas worry about impact of freeze on SNAP benefits

With the government shutdown freezing SNAP funding, owners are worried about the potential financial hit.

Melissa Rose Cooper

Oct 31, 2025, 6:56 AM

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Some Brooklyn bodegas are worried about the impact the government shutdown could soon have on business.

Many of them allow people to use their EBT cards to pay for food. But with the government shutdown freezing SNAP funding, owners are worried about the potential financial hit.

At Gourmet Deli in East Flatbush, staff say half of their customers pay for their food items with their EBT card.

"Not even only this store, plenty of other stores that have EBT," said Yamilet Ramirez, "They won't be able to purchase anything if they don't have anything coming in."

Gov. Kathy Hochul just declared a statewide food emergency freeing up state funding to help support families relying on SNAP benefits during the shutdown.

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