Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand visited the area on Friday afternoon, making a stop at Capital Roots in Troy, to criticize the Trump Administration's proposal to cut 25-percent, or 193 million dollars, from the food stamp program or SNAP, over the next 10 years.
Gillibrand tells News Channel 13 that this is not fair to people who are working, but their paychecks simply cannot cover some basic necessities.
"Poverty is not a choice; these New Yorkers work, but their wages are too low, and so, they need SNAP to fill the gap."
Gillibrand also says a lot of people who buy with SNAP, tend to only buy cheap junk food.
"To tell families you can only buy certain foods, it's just degrading; we'd like everyone to make better food choices, and that we do through education."
President Trump's proposed budget argues the 25-percent cut would motivate able-bodied people to no longer rely on government assistance, so only the neediest and more deserving families would receive SNAP assistance.
Currently, a family of four who makes less than $31,000 a year, qualifies for SNAP benefits.
Photo: Getty Images