By Lynn La
CalMatters
The ongoing federal government shutdown will likely delay food benefits for millions of Californians — prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to set aside $80 million in state support and deploy the California National Guard to assist food banks.
The governor unveiled the move Wednesday, days after the California Department of Social Services began notifying counties to prepare for the possibility that federally funded food benefits, known as CalFresh in California, could be disrupted.
“The Republican Government Shutdown is about to delay food benefits for MILLIONS of California families,” Newsom posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I am deploying the National Guard on a humanitarian mission to support CA’s food banks. Donald Trump is using millions of Americans as political pawns. It’s disgusting.”
Without federal intervention or the shutdown ending by Thursday, about 5.5 million low-income Californians enrolled in the program would likely not receive assistance for November — including nearly 3.5 million children and senior citizens.
California issues about $1.1 billion in CalFresh benefits every month. Though benefits for October have already been distributed, those who applied to the program between Oct. 16 through Oct. 31 would not receive assistance for the second half of the month, as well as November.
Recipients of California’s separate food benefits program for eligible noncitizens who can’t receive federal aid, known as the California Food Assistance Program, should also expect delays.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees the federal benefit program, did not respond to a request for comment. Instead, it sent a copy of a memo it issued to state agencies on Oct. 10, notifying them of insufficient funds for November.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins posted on social media that the lack of appropriated funds was due to Democrats “putting free health care for illegal aliens and their political agenda ahead of food security for American families.”
Rollins is referring to Republicans’ claims that Democratic congressional leaders are responsible for the shutdown because they want free health coverage for immigrants without legal status. Democrats are calling for the rollback of Medicaid cuts included in Trump’s spending bill, and the extension of subsidies used by most Affordable Care Act enrollees.
In 2023, nearly a quarter of California households experienced some food insecurity, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. In San Diego County — which has the highest military population in the state — local food banks are adding pop-up food banks due to the shutdown to help combat food insecurity among the county’s armed service members and federal employees.