When the government shutdown delayed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, Californians – from state leaders to local organizations – stepped in to support those in need.
The United States government entered a federal shutdown Oct. 1 because of the previous fiscal year’s budget expiring and the Democrats and Republicans unable to reach a consensus on a new budget, causing the government to no longer have funding to continue operations. At the end of October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the department did not have sufficient funds to continue payments for SNAP – including California’s program CalFresh – for the month of November. Throughout these benefit cuts, community members came together to ensure food resources were available and well known to those who needed assistance.
In previous government shutdowns, the USDA had been authorized to use its approximately $5.3 billion in contingency funds, which is money set aside by the federal government to cover unforeseen expenses. While SNAP payments have typically been covered by these funds, the Trump administration did not approve their use during this shutdown.
[Related: Federal government shutdown threatens CalFresh benefits, students’ food security]
This government shutdown differs from previous ones, said Susan Babey, co-director of the Chronic Research Program at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
“This shutdown is the first one that I know of since at least 1995 where the distribution of CalFresh or SNAP benefits was disrupted by a government shutdown,” Babey said.
During the lapse in funding, the California government, along with a coalition of 24 other states, filed a lawsuit against the federal government Oct. 28 to reinstate these benefits to citizens. A court ordered the Trump administration to immediately restore full funding for 5.5 million California SNAP recipients Nov. 6, with CalFresh recipients beginning to see reinstated benefits that day.
“One thing this action signals is that California and the other states … are really saying that the federal government is responsible for paying these benefits,” Babey said.
However, the Trump administration appealed the court order for the full issue of November benefits, stating that the courts do not have the ability to make decisions regarding the allocation of federal funds. These contradicting legal decrees led to a delay in the issuing of benefits, with threatened financial penalties for states that did not comply. Full benefits were not reinstated until the end of the government shutdown Nov. 12.
The White House did not respond in time to a request for comment on the delays of SNAP benefits.
In the midst of legal delays, Californians have come together to help those who rely on food assistance. Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed the national guard to support California food banks and allocated around $80 million in state funds to support food-insecure households affected by the delays of CalFresh benefits.
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank saw an influx of volunteers following the announcement of the cuts to November SNAP benefits. Additionally, Newsom launched a program called Operation Feed California to encourage community members to volunteer and donate resources to support their neighbors who may be affected by the government shutdown. The initiative also urged volunteers to purchase food from local grocery stores when making donations.
UCLA organizations were a part of the movement to alleviate hunger while the shutdown was in place.
Members of Hunger Project at UCLA, a student-led organization, have been volunteering at a food bank site at St. James Church, said Aaron Chang, a fourth-year computational and systems biology student and the organization’s outreach director.
“What we do is we basically cook these food, we give it to individuals that don’t have access to it, and we basically do this on a weekly basis.” Chang said. “We’ll have volunteers come in, help cook food, organize clothing, give clothing to individuals and hand out stuff that people might need.”
Chang added that during the shutdown, Hunger Project at UCLA has ramped up its advocacy, spreading the word about the government shutdown and support programs available such as their food bank site at St. James.
“We do see more individuals coming in, which is really, really cool to see,” Chang said.
Babey said the effects of the government shutdown do not just affect access to food but also place greater economic strain on families in the long term.
“A more immediate concern is a sort of cascade effect that could occur because people were expecting to have this money to pay for their food and now they don’t.” Babey said.
She added that economic impacts of halting CalFresh benefits could continue past the shutdown itself, with families financially sacrificing other areas such as housing, transportation or healthcare.
Many people rely on CalFresh benefits to be able to afford rent and basic necessities. Without benefits, those reliant on SNAP could face serious health risks, as they may start skipping meals or relying on cheaper ultra-processed foods, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Another campus organization, Swipe Out Hunger, partnered with the UCLA Economic Crisis Response Team to allow food-insecure students to receive free meal swipes. The ECRT additionally ran the short term support program Emergency Meal Support, donating meal swipes from Swipe Out Hunger to students affected by the CalFresh benefit cuts, allowing students to temporarily receive meal swipes and vouchers.
Ken Woo – second-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student and gleaning committee head for UCLA Swipe Out Hunger – said the organization wanted to be a consistent resource during the government shutdown, both in providing swipes to students and redistributing leftover produce at the Westwood and Brentwood farmers markets.
“We’re just trying to stay firm and just be a long-standing and consistent resource that students can constantly rely on,” Woo said.
Woo said for students less affected by the delays of CalFresh benefits, they should prioritize donating their unused meal swipes.
“It’s really important for students who aren’t as affected by this shutdown and this discontinuation of services just to donate their swipes,” Woo said. “The main thing we try to tell them is that if they don’t use their swipes, it goes to waste.”
According to the organization’s internal report, Swipe Out Hunger’s efforts led students to donate more than 60,000 meal swipes during the 2024-25 school year.
Babey said she hopes the freezing of benefits do not continue in a future government shutdown.
“It certainly feels like it could be a turning point,” Babey said. “I would hope that this doesn’t become the norm moving forward because … in every other shutdown, emergency funds or funds that were available were used.”
Both Woo and Chang said advocacy surrounding the issue of food insecurity is important going forward.
“One of the most important things is just spreading awareness because the more individuals that know about it, the more individuals that can help,” Chang said.
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