Newsom warns Californians’ SNAP benefits could be delayed due to government shutdown
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a stark warning Monday that food assistance benefits for millions of low-income Californians could be delayed starting Nov. 1 if the ongoing federal government shutdown does not end on Thursday.
These benefits are issued under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, and include federally funded benefits deposited onto CalFresh cards. They support approximately 5.5 million Californians.
Newsom blamed President Trump for potential SNAP disruptions and broader shutdowns, slamming the timing of the possible shutdowns as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.
“Trump’s failure to open up the federal government is now endangering people’s lives and making basic needs like food more expensive — just in time for the holidays,” Newsom said. “It’s long past time for Republicans in Congress to straighten their backs, stand up to Trump, and serve the American people.”
The White House responded by blaming Democrats for the shutdown, as it has done before.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said that “Democrats’ decision to shut down the government is hurting Americans across the country” and that Democrats “can choose to reopen the government at any time” by voting for a continuing resolution to fund the government while budget negotiations continue, which she said they have done multiple times during the Biden administration.
“Newsom should urge his Democratic friends to stop hurting the American people,” Jackson said, using one of Trump’s favorite insults for Newsom. “The Trump administration is working around the clock to alleviate the pain inflicted by Democrats, and even this has unsettled the left, with many Democrats criticizing the president’s efforts to pay for the military and provide food aid to women and children.”
Congressional Republicans also blame the shutdown and resulting disruption to federal programs on Democrats, who have refused to vote for a Republican-backed funding measure based in large part on their decision to eliminate subsidies for a health care program that millions of Americans rely on.
Newsom’s warning about SNAP benefits follows similar warnings from other states on both sides of the political aisle, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned state agencies in an Oct. 10 letter that a government shutdown could disrupt funding for benefits.
States have until the end of the month to take action to issue November benefits, so the government shutdown must end earlier than November 1 for benefits to be paid out in time.
Newsom’s office said Californians’ benefits could be interrupted or delayed if the shutdown doesn’t end by Thursday. The Texas Department of Health and Human Services warned that if the federal government shutdown continues beyond October 27, SNAP benefits will not be paid in November.
Newsom’s office said the funding cut would affect federally funded CalFresh benefits, but also some other state-funded benefits. Newsom’s office said more than 63% of SNAP recipients in California are children or seniors.
“Government should be measured by how well it protects people’s lives, health and well-being. Parents and caregivers should not be forced to choose between buying groceries and paying their bills,” California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom said in her statement.
States are already preparing for additional changes to SNAP eligibility under the Republican-passed “Big Beautiful Act,” which sets new limits on SNAP benefits, including for nonworking adults. Republicans argue such restrictions will encourage more able-bodied adults to return to the workforce and support their own families.
Many Democrats and advocacy groups working to protect low-income families and children argue that limiting SNAP benefits has a disproportionate impact on some of the country’s most vulnerable populations, including poor children.
According to the USDA, in fiscal year 2024, approximately 41.7 million Americans receive SNAP benefits each month, at a cost of nearly $100 billion annually. Supporters say the USDA has some emergency funds it can use to continue benefits in the short term, but not enough to cover all monthly benefits.
Andrew Cheyne, managing director of public policy at the California advocacy group End Child Poverty, urged the USDA to use its emergency funds and any other possible funding streams to prevent SNAP benefit interruptions, which he said would be “catastrophic.”
“CalFresh is a lifeline for 5.5 million Californians who rely on the program to eat. That includes 2 million children. It’s unreasonable for children and families to not know where their next meal is coming from with just days to go,” Cheyne said.
He said the science clearly shows that “even brief periods of food insecurity can have long-lasting effects on a child’s growth and development.”
Ted Lempert, president of Children Now, said the disruption would be “horrible.”
“We are speaking out about the needs of children and families, and children need food – basic support to live, function and go to school,” he said. “So this could be really devastating.”
Times staff writer Jenny Gold contributed to this report.
