Rochester businesses hit hard by SNAP pause; Judge demands that government pay recipients by Friday

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Some small businesses in Rochester say the pause on SNAP is hitting them hard. Their reaction comes as a federal judge demands that the President Trump administration find the money to fully fund the food assistance program by Friday.

Last week, News10NBC’s Kristi Blake spoke with the owners of convenience stores that get nearly half of their revenue from their customers paying through SNAP. Now, she’s following up with the Neighborhood Mini Market to see the impact. Fatehi Saeed, manager of the mini market on Plymouth Avenue, said customers have been coming in and swiping their EBT cards. However, they keep declining or just have a few bucks.

“Some people don’t have any cash. Yellow corn. You want a bread? You want a milk. You want to meet, you know, a decline sometime we have. We try, you know, but is tough customer. I know, I can hug them sometime. I can, you know, because we all work here too,” Saeed said.

Over 135,000 people in the six-county region around Rochester rely on SNAP for food. In Monroe County, one in seven people are recipients. Saeed says he usually gets $200 to $300 of SNAP money every single day. Sometimes at the beginning of the month, it can even hit $500. So far, that’s anywhere from $1,500 to more than $3,000 of money not made. The owner of another small business, Dreamtown Deli, said 40% of revenue comes from SNAP.

During the conversation, you can hear Saeed get emotional, knowing he has to turn some people away. In regards to the government shutdown, Saeed said it’s time the government takes care of its people.

What’s the latest in the Senate on efforts to end the shutdown?

The Senate is set to vote once again on Friday on a bill aiming to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Republican senators are hoping to vote on a continuing resolution passed by the House that would be altered to extend government funding past Nov. 21. The GOP is hoping to sway just a handful of moderate Democrats.

More about the judge’s order to fully fund SNAP

A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November, a decision that the administration promptly appealed.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. gave President Donald Trump’s administration until Friday to make the payments through SNAP. However, it’s unlikely that the 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP will see the money on the debit cards that quickly.

The order was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit, a decision that would have left some recipients getting nothing for this month.

“The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP,” McConnell said in a ruling from the bench after a brief hearing. “They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial SNAP payments and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer.”

McConnell was one of two judges who ruled last week that the administration could not skip November’s benefits entirely because of the federal shutdown.

Shortly after the judges’ rulings, lawyers for the Trump administration filed a motion to appeal, contesting both Thursday’s decision and the earlier one last Saturday that ordered the federal government to use emergency reserves to fund the food program throughout November. Vice President JD Vance told reporters the ruling was “absurd.”

Where can people go for meal assistance in the Rochester area?

For weeks, News10NBC has covered how local food pantries have prepared for a pause to SNAP and now are stepping up. We’ve also spoken to local recipients about their worries. Foodlink, the Rochester-based regional foodbank that supports meal programs across 10 counties, is seeing an increased demand. You can see a list of food pantries across the region here.

Here is some of our other coverage: