Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

Trump Administration jeopardizing food assistance for 5.5 million Californians on CalFresh

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) joined Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), as well as 41 other colleagues, in calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to release the billions of dollars at its disposal to ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits continue in November. The letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins comes as the Trump Administration’s refusal to provide SNAP funding will force at least 25 states, including California, to delay essential food benefits at the start of next month.

Approximately 40 million low-income Americans — including 5.5 million Californians — depend on SNAP benefits to help afford their groceries, which has only grown more important amid skyrocketing food prices under President Trump. In response to USDA’s withholding of SNAP funding, Governor Gavin Newsom announced yesterday that he will deploy the California National Guard to support food banks across the state, similar to the emergency role the Guard played to facilitate nutrition assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. California will also fast-track over $80 million in state support to protect these vital benefits.

“We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will ‘run out of money in two weeks,’” wrote the Senators. “In fact, the USDA has several tools available which would enable SNAP benefits to be paid through or close to the end of November.”

“In the event that more resources are needed than what is available in contingency funding, the USDA should explore all legal means to augment funds to pay the full amount of SNAP benefits in November. Americans are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, and they cannot afford a sudden lapse in grocery assistance,” continued the Senators. “We urge you to immediately communicate to states and committees of jurisdiction the USDA’s plans to disburse the contingency funding to state agencies and utilize all available legal authorities so that American families can get benefits without interruption. Democrats remain at the table and ready to negotiate reopening the government.”

The Democratic Senators raised the alarm about USDA’s failure to use available funding to continue SNAP, urging USDA to comply with the law by using contingency funding available for SNAP. They also urged USDA to use its interchange authority under 7 U.S.C. 2257 that allows the agency to transfer funds from other USDA nutrition programs to SNAP, which they recently used to transfer funding to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), to protect important benefits during the government shutdown.

In addition to Padilla, Schiff, Booker, Klobuchar, and Luján, the letter was also signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

Earlier this year, Senator Padilla joined a spotlight forum titled “Hunger by Design ­— The GOP’s Assault on SNAP” to question witnesses and expose President Trump and Republicans’ cruel budget proposal that cut nearly $200 billion in SNAP benefits while giving tax cuts to billionaires. He also repeatedly slammed Republicans’ billionaire-first budget reconciliation bill that is gutting critical programs like SNAP and devastating families in California and across the country. In June, Padilla joined the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in calling on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to reverse course on Republicans’ plan to take health care and food assistance away from millions of Americans — including seniors, children, people with disabilities, and veterans — to pay for tax breaks for ultra-wealthy Americans.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary Rollins,

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is our nation’s largest food assistance program, serving 42 million people, including 16 million children, 8 million seniors, and 4 million people with disabilities. Any halt in SNAP funding will have devastating impacts for program beneficiaries, increasing food insecurity and undermining family budgets. Given the critical importance of SNAP benefits, the USDA must take all steps possible to ensure that families do not go hungry.

We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will “run out of money in two weeks.” In fact, the USDA has several tools available which would enable SNAP benefits to be paid through or close to the end of November. First, the USDA must, at a minimum under the law, use the contingency funding that is available for SNAP, as noted by USDA officials. Second, the USDA has interchange authority under 7 U.S.C. 2257 that permits the transfer of funds from other USDA nutrition programs. In fact, this authority was recently used by the USDA when it transferred money from child nutrition programs to the WIC account to maintain WIC benefits during the shutdown. In the event that more resources are needed than what is available in contingency funding, the USDA should explore all legal means to augment funds to pay the full amount of SNAP benefits in November.

Americans are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, and they cannot afford a sudden lapse in grocery assistance. We urge you to immediately communicate to states and committees of jurisdiction the USDA’s plans to disburse the contingency funding to state agencies and utilize all available legal authorities so that American families can get benefits without interruption. Democrats remain at the table and ready to negotiate reopening the government.

Sincerely,

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