Mamdani announces he personally brokered deal with Trump to delay SNAP cuts for bodegas

Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday announced he personally secured a 90-day delay for bodegas to comply with new federal food-stamp rules through direct negotiations with the Trump administration.Hizzoner wrote to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins last week requesting a six-month delay for stores to adhere to the new guidelines, which require SNAP-authorized retailers to stock seven varieties each of dairy, grains, proteins and produce instead of the current three.“I am grateful that President Trump has agreed to delay beginning of enforcement of this rule, and we will continue fighting to protect our neighborhood businesses and the New Yorkers who depend on them,” Mamdani said in a statement.Enforcement of the new US Department of Agriculture rules was slated to start Nov.4.Mamdani said he requested the extension after owners of 100 of the Big Apple’s more than 10,000 bodegas reached out to City Hall with concerns about their ability to comply.“Without more time, many of these stores risked losing the ability to accept SNAP – threatening their livelihoods and making it harder for families to put food on the table,” his statement said.Mamdani touted that the delay would apply “nationwide.”The USDA rule change fulfills a decade-old congressional mandate that was passed in a 2014 farm bill that was blocked in federal spending bills until May of this year.The primary goal is to improve nutrition variety in food deserts,  according to the USDA website....