November 8, 2025
Dear Friends,
Throughout my years in public service, I have always been driven by a desire to bring hope and tangible resources to the people who need them most. Whether by advancing funding for critical medical research initiatives, providing resources and treatment to those suffering from the disease of addiction, or delivering direct support to help families afford basic necessities, I’ve worked tirelessly to make certain our government is there to provide a helping hand to the most vulnerable in our communities. With that goal in mind, I’ve spent this week working to preserve vital food assistance for our communities and to address the growing crisis of problem gambling — even as Republicans continue to exploit their government shutdown to inflict pain on American families.
Last week, the cruelty shown by Donald Trump and his Republican allies reached a new low as the Trump administration announced that it would use the government shutdown as an excuse to illegally withhold Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from more than 42 million Americans — including 16 million children, 8 million seniors, and 1.2 million veterans. In our Capital Region alone, nearly 80,000 people rely on SNAP to purchase the food they need to survive. But despite billions of dollars in contingency funds available to fund the program and the administration’s unquestioned legal authority to utilize those funds, Trump and his enablers have chosen to use hunger as a political weapon against the most vulnerable Americans.
Following last week’s federal court order directing the administration to release funding for SNAP benefits, Trump and his administration have thrown the state of food assistance into chaos — claiming that they’d abide by the court’s ruling while simultaneously appealing the decision and declaring their intention to withhold benefits until after the GOP shutdown ends. While some states, including New York, have continued the fight to help ensure families receive this benefit, President Trump remains hell-bent on denying food assistance to millions of Americans in need.
This confusion and uncertainty is putting thousands of Capital Region families and millions of Americans in an impossible position — and yesterday, I joined a roundtable discussion in Rotterdam with anti-hunger advocates and local SNAP beneficiaries to learn more about how these cruel actions are impacting our communities. The stories I heard were heartbreaking, and my Democratic colleagues and I will continue to demand that the Trump administration use its lawful authority to fully fund November SNAP benefits immediately.
Also this week, as part of my ongoing efforts to support vulnerable Americans, I helped launch Families and Friends of Gamblers (FFOG) — a new organization focused on raising awareness of the devastating harms caused by problem gambling. Last month’s NBA gambling scandal shone a new light on how the rise of sports betting is already impacting the competitive integrity of the sports we love. But the explosion of the sports gambling industry is also having a destructive impact on a new generation of gamblers — creating a massive and growing public health crisis among countless Americans now facing addiction, bankruptcy, ruined relationships, mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, and even suicide.
That’s why I introduced the SAFE Bet Act, a groundbreaking piece of legislation that would establish minimum federal standards to make sports betting a safer, less addictive product. Among other provisions, my bill would rein in sportsbooks’ predatory marketing practices, require operators to conduct affordability checks on customers before accepting wagers, prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to track bettors’ gambling habits, and ban so-called “prop bets” on the individual performances of all college and amateur athletes. Last week, I sent letters to the commissioners of every major North American professional sports league urging them to support these commonsense guardrails — or risk sacrificing their fans, their players, and their competitive integrity at the altar of the gambling industry. We must act now to address this crisis, protect consumers, and give the beloved, time-honored tradition of sports back to the people — not sportsbooks.
At a time when those in power are showing indifference and even contempt for the people they claim to serve, it is all the more vital to stand up and amplify the voices of those who too often go unheard. Whether we’re confronting cynical politicians bent on harming our communities or entrenched interests like the gambling industry, you can always count on me to stay in the fight. No matter the obstacles, I’ll keep working to deliver real support for the people who need it most.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates, announcements, and recommendations from governments and agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- As the Republican shutdown drags on and thousands of Capital Region residents face ongoing uncertainty about the status of their SNAP benefits, food banks and food pantries across our region are doing everything they can to fill the gap.
- If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance and is unsure where to turn, you can click HERE to find a food pantry near you.
- If you’re interested in helping these local organizations support our communities, you can click HERE to learn how to give food or donate directly, or click HERE to learn how to start your own food drive.
- If you’d like to volunteer your time at a local food pantry, click HERE to find a pantry near you.
