Mamdani wins 90-day SNAP reprieve for bodegas after Trump talks

The extension kicks in Friday, capping a push by Mamdani that he says drew more than 100 bodega owners to his office with complaints about the looming requirements. The mayor credited conversations with Trump and agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins for the reprieve, which gives corner stores 90 extra days to get their shelves in order.

The rules, written by the US agriculture department, were set to bite on 4 November. They would have forced retailers to stock at least seven varieties within each staple category — dairy, grains, protein, and fruits or vegetables — and to carry perishable items in three of those categories. Mamdani said the timelines left small shops scrambling.

At a Friday press conference, Mamdani framed the stakes in blunt terms, saying the guidelines threw the lives of "more than a million New Yorkers" and "tens of millions more across America" into "chaos". He said residents already facing food deserts and rising grocery bills feared the few stores that take their benefits would stop accepting them altogether. "For so many of our fellow Americans, whether they shop at a general store in Michigan or a convenience store in Missouri, would have struggled to use their benefits and feed those they love," he said.

The numbers back up the anxiety. According to the Food Research and Action Center, bodegas, convenience stores and small groceries make up roughly 70% of SNAP retailers nationwide. New York City's department of city planning counts more than 10,000 bodegas and corner stores across the five boroughs. Without the ability to accept SNAP, Mamdani warned, many of those small operators risked closing for good.