Mamdani Secures 90-Day Reprieve for Bodegas Under SNAP Rule

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday that, after negotiating with the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will delay enforcement of a new rule requiring SNAP-authorized retailers to meet expanded stocking standards.

The compliance deadline for the rule was set to begin on Nov. 4; and the 90-day extension applies to bodegas and small retailers nationwide.

“I spoke with President Trump, and he agreed to give small business owners across America at least a 90-day extension to comply with new SNAP rules,” Mamdani said in a Nov. 13 post on X.

“The concerns of the smallest businesses should always be raised to the highest levels of government.”

Mamdani asked Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to delay enforcement of new federal food-stocking requirements for retailers that accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

In a Nov. 2 letter, Mamdani requested a six-month extension, from Nov. 4, 2026, to May 4, 2027, warning that bodegas and corner stores could lose their ability to accept SNAP.

The USDA rule raises the minimum from three to seven varieties in each of four staple-food categories, requiring stores to keep at least 84 stocking units in stock. It also requires perishables in three categories, up from two.

Mamdani said USDA issued its initial implementation guidance two months before the deadline, leaving small stores little time to find suppliers, rearrange shelves or buy refrigeration equipment.

Retailers that lose SNAP authorization must wait six months to reapply, Mamdani said. Bodega organizations estimate that SNAP purchases account for 15–20 percent of a typical New York store’s sales. Mamdani said losing that revenue could force some stores to close and leave customers traveling farther for groceries. About 1.6 million New Yorkers receive SNAP.

Mamdani also asked USDA to explain in writing how it would help independent retailers comply and whether stores could correct deficiencies before losing authorization.

“When we met with bodega owners at City Hall last month, we heard from them directly about how they wanted to comply with the new federal rule, but that they didn’t have the resources, the guidance or the time to do so,” Julie Su, deputy mayor for economic justice, said in a press release.

“We told them we would fight for them and we meant it.”

On May 7, the USDA announced it would publish a rule changing stocking standards for retailers participating in SNAP. The new rule would ensure authorized retailers nationwide offer SNAP participants a wider variety of nutritious foods.

“This change more than doubles the requirement of available foods, emphasizes more whole foods, increases the perishable food requirements, and eliminates loopholes that for too long have allowed retailers to count certain snack foods toward their staple food requirements,” the USDA said at the time.

The USDA also said the changes would demand more accountability from retailers “who not only have stocked the bare minimum, but have seen the most program violations, including benefit trafficking and other fraudulent behavior.”

Trump met with Mamdani on Sept. 21 at Gracie Mansion to discuss affordable housing and the cost of living. It was the first time a sitting president had visited the mayor’s official residence since Ronald Reagan in 1981.

The discussion included Sunnyside Yard, a proposed development at an Amtrak rail yard in Queens that could add about 12,000 homes, along with schools, parks, and retail space.

Mamdani, who requested $21 billion in federal grants for the project in February, said he and Trump agreed to arrange follow-up meetings between their teams.