As the federal shutdown enters week 4, up to 5 million Californians could lose CalFresh food benefits. State leaders clash over stalled federal funding. (The Center Square)
- As the federal shutdown enters its 4th week, CalFresh - California’s SNAP program - is days away from running out of funds that feed over 5 million residents.
- Senate Democrats blocked a GOP-led funding bill tied to the shutdown, while California leaders accuse Washington of “starving families” through inaction and partisanship.
- Attorney General Rob Bonta joined 23 states in suing the federal government to restore SNAP funding, as California deploys the National Guard and rushes $80 million to food banks.
Share
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
An estimated 5 million Californians are at risk of losing federally-funded food benefits through CalFresh, the state’s version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
The federal government shutdown, now in its 28th day, brings families who rely on CalFresh one day closer to losing what, for many, is their only source of food. Current funding for CalFresh benefits run out on Saturday, according to the Department of Social Services.
“Our families are going to go hungry,” Assemblymember David Tangipa, R-Fresno, told The Center Square. “(Democrats) are saying, ‘It’s finally worth it to let families starve,’ when we’ve got to create a cohesive plan that figures out compromise in the state because families depend on their action. Right now we’re getting inaction.”
he shutdown was exacerbated by Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocking Republican efforts to vote on a continuing resolution, which would reopen and fund the federal government, The Center Square reported. The ongoing shutdown is the second longest in U.S. history.
The Center Square’s Thérèse Boudreaux reported Tuesday that Senate Democrats in Washington, D.C. won’t agree to a deal to fund and reopen the federal government without extending a pandemic-era expansion of the Obamacare Premium Tax Credit, which will expire on Dec. 31.
Approximately $1.1 billion in federal money is distributed in CalFresh benefits each month to eligible Californians, according to a report from the California Department of Social Services, the department that administers the CalFresh program. The report also states that 5.5 million Californians depend on CalFresh benefits every month. The Center Square previously reported that 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps.
Some funding is still available through the remaining days of October, according to the Department of Social Services website.
Congressional leaders in Washington, D.C. have requested that funding for the SNAP program nationwide continue to be funded by federal emergency contingency funds, which the Department of Agriculture, which administers the SNAP program, refused to grant. The department issued a memo on Oct. 24 stating the disbursement of contingency funds for regular SNAP funding is illegal.
“This funding freeze and the federal shutdown threatens to erase nearly $70 million annually in local food support, and that’s just in Alameda County alone,” said Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Alameda. “The federal government refusing to release the $6 billion contingency funding is incorrigible and, I’m certain, illegal.”
No Funding, No Food
In response to the continued shutdown, a notice was posted on the USDA’s website in recent days blaming Congressional Democrats for voting against a funding package that would continue to fund the government and its programs, including SNAP.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the notice reads. “They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”
But California’s Democrats are pushing back. California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas criticized the Trump Administration and the Republican party in a press release issued on Oct. 23, saying that millions of Californians will lose their food benefits without Congress moving to pass a budget that will open the government back up.
“This is not a drill. Trump’s government shutdown is literally taking food away from our kids,” said Rivas, D-Salinas. “But when Republicans fail to lead, Assembly Democrats will do everything in our power to help parents and seniors pay for groceries and celebrate the holidays, because it’s our job to fight for programs that put food on the table.”
Tangipa, the Republican assemblyman from Fresno, told The Center Square that he grew up in a family that relied on CalFresh benefits, which some know as EBT, or electronic benefit transfer. With their EBT card, he and his family were able to buy food. They had to ration their what they got to make it through the month.
“Without those types of benefits, it makes it very hard. Families are just trying to survive and eat,” Tangipa told The Center Square. “I was one of those kids where the first time I had consistent meals was whenever I would go back to school. When you grow up in extreme poverty like that, those are the only options you have.”
How the State Is Stepping In
As the federally-funded CalFresh program faces a complete emptying of its coffers, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced California is filing a lawsuit against the federal government to ensure the state can continue to feed families in the most need.
Attorneys general from 23 other states and the governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania also signed on to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.
“In abruptly suspending SNAP, Trump and Rollins have broken the law,” Bonta said during a press conference announcing the lawsuit on Tuesday. “They have forced states to scramble to try to clean up the federal government’s mess, and worst of all, they have left 41 million Americans unsure of where their next meal will come from.”
Rollins was referring to Brooke Rollins, the U.S. secretary of agriculture.
Legislators are expediting efforts to mitigate the loss of food benefits in California. According to Rivas’ office, $80 million already allocated in this year’s state budget for food banks throughout the state are being fast-tracked, and National Guard troops are being deployed to food banks to assist in alleviating the crisis. Troops will be sent out in a non-law enforcement capacity, Rivas said.
“With the holiday season around the corner, the stakes couldn’t be higher for families trying to put food on their tables,” Rivas said in the press release. “Trump’s attack on CalFresh benefits will adversely impact children living in poverty, older adults living on fixed incomes and veterans who rely on federal support to pay for groceries.”
This article was republished from The Center Square. See their article here.
RELATED TOPICS:
Categories
Food Benefits at Risk as Government Shutdown Continues
Clovis Woman Dies After Being Struck by Vehicle
