CM Brewer questions OMB on healthcare and SNAP threats from federal government
Brewer asks about planning for Medicaid/Medicare cuts under Trump. Solomon notes close coordination with H&H and the state on Medicaid, and highlights investments in food assistance programs including Community Food Connection, Groceries to Go, and SNAP eligibility specialists, while acknowledging the city can't fully backfill federal cuts.
In terms of health care, there's no number, but we're all concerned whatever Trump is doing, Medicare, Medicaid, mostly Medicaid.
How are you thinking about that as a future challenge in terms of people getting cut off?
I don't know whether you go to New York City Cares.
I don't know if you just show up at the emergency room.
It's obviously going to cost more.
Yeah, I think, as I mentioned, we're working closely with the health and hospitals and with the state because we need to understand what the state intends in terms of Medicaid funding.
that may be cut from the federal government.
At the same time, we know that SNAP is also a real concern, and that's why we made strategic investments, whether it's the Community Food Connection Program, whether it's groceries to go, whether it's get the good stuff, whether it's investing in SNAP eligibility specialists.
We're committed to making sure that we have food assistance for those who need it, and so it's an ongoing conversation.
I think it's been said before that
The city doesn't have the capacity to backfill the magnitude of those kinds of cuts, but where we can, we will act and make those investments in partnership with the council.
All right.
Thank you.
Great.
Thank you.
And I know the commissioner of DYCD is working hard in terms of the after school program.
Not hard enough.
Yes.
Well, hopefully we'll hear some good news.
Okay, great.
So we have Pierina Sanchez followed by Brooks Powers.