Ongoing government shutdown to pause CalFresh benefits

Now into its third week, the federal shutdown is likely to affect even more areas of day-to-day life, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as CalFresh. In California, 55% of CalFresh recipients are Latinos.

The shutdown began on Oct.1 after Congress could not agree on key health care provisions in order to approve a federal budget. SNAP provides financial assistance for low-income individuals to purchase food. Without its allocated funding, government officials are warning that if the shutdown continues, recipients of the assistance program and others like it will not receive their benefits next month.

“The federal government has shut down due to the failures of the President and Congress to continue government funding,” reads the California Department of Social Services website. It continues, “millions of Californians receiving benefits from State programs may be impacted beginning as early as November.”

The shutdown is a result of a disagreement between politicians in Congress over subsidies dealing with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Notably, Republicans have falsely claimed Democrats are solely at fault for the shutdown because they wanted to fund health care for illegal immigrants. Federal law already prohibits undocumented immigrants from accessing Medicare, Medicaid or health care through the ACA.

In reality, Democrats wanted to extend tax credits that reduce the cost of health care, as well as reverse the cuts to Medicaid under President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” Negotiations in Congress failed, so the government shut down.

SNAP is the largest food assistance program in the country and is funded entirely by the federal government. In California, the program is known as CalFresh. To qualify for food assistance, individuals must live under the federal poverty level. Monthly benefits vary based on household size, income, disability benefits and living expenses.

48% of low-income Latino adults in the state face food insecurity, according to a report published by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute.  Because of this, Latinos also made up 55% (roughly three million) of all CalFresh recipients in 2023, making it the largest racial demographic in the program, according to the Institute. The next closest racial/ethnic group enrolled in CalFresh are white individuals, who make up 20% of enrollees.

Trump’s tax bill will also inherently affect those who receive SNAP benefits and how much money they receive. Beginning in January 2027, there will be stricter work requirements and eligibility will be much tighter. The bill removes work requirement exemptions for veterans, homeless individuals and former foster youth. These and other changes will cut the program by roughly 30%, or $300 billion.

These cuts will result in “by far the largest cut to SNAP in history,” according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan think tank out of Washington D.C.

Other programs being impacted by the shutdown include the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Government employees are also currently not being paid, with the exception of Department of Homeland Security,  Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and members of the military.

The Trump administration has also fired roughly 4,100 federal employees since the shutdown began, according to a court filing by the U.S. Department of Justice.

In response to user feedback as well as the interruptions to individuals’ benefits and employment, California launched an updated unemployment benefits program on Monday aimed at making it easier to receive unemployment benefits.

“As workers and families bear the brunt of President Trump’s failed policies, California will continue to support by making accessing benefits easier,” said Governor Gavin Newsom in a statement.

The modernized Employment Development Department’s online benefit portal simplifies the required wage reporting users must comply with in order to continue receiving their benefits. The portal now has a weekly wage reporting tool to assist recipients in reporting any earnings they receive while collecting benefits. The portal will continue to be modernized through 2026.

For more information on how assistance programs may be impacted by the government shutdown, visit https://www.chhs.ca.gov/federal-shutdown-and-hhs/.