'i'm Terrified': Hunger Looms As Millions Prepare To Lose Food Aid Amid Shutdown - Beritaja

Michaela Thompson, an unemployed mother successful the San Fernando Valley, relies connected national assistance to spend the specialized babe look her 15-month-old girl needs because of a feeding disorder. At $47 for a five-day supply, it’s retired of her scope otherwise.

But pinch the national shutdown blocking upcoming disbursements of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits — antecedently known arsenic nutrient stamps — Thompson said she doesn’t cognize really she’s going to capable her daughter’s bottles.

“It feels for illustration the world is benignant of crumbling correct now,” she said. “I’m terrified for my family and my daughter.”

Millions of low-income families who trust connected SNAP benefits to put nutrient connected the array successful California and crossed the state — about 1 successful 8 Americans — are confronting akin fears this week, arsenic national and authorities officials pass that November costs will not beryllium issued without a solution to the ongoing national shutdown and Congress shows nary motion of a breakthrough.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced Tuesday that California is joining different Democrat-led states successful suing the Trump management to unit SNAP payments done the usage of contingency funds, but the litigation — moreover if successful — won’t forestall each the disruptions.

Army master Jazmine Contreras, center, and backstage first people Vivian Almaraz, right, of the 40th Division Sustainment Brigade, Army National Guard, Los Alamitos, thief workers and volunteers battalion boxes of nutrient astatine the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank connected Friday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

It is already excessively precocious for immoderate of the 5.5 cardinal California residents — including 2 cardinal children — who trust connected specified benefits to person them successful clip to bargain groceries aft Friday, erstwhile galore will person already utilized up their October benefits, authorities officials said. Advocates warned of a tidal activity of request arsenic location pantries and CalFresh cards tally quiet — which they said is nary longer a risk, but a certainty.

“We are past the constituent astatine which it is imaginable to forestall harm,” said Andrew Cheyne, managing head of nationalist argumentation astatine the statement End Child Poverty California.

About 41.7 cardinal Americans were served done SNAP per period successful fiscal 2024, astatine an yearly costs of about $100 billion, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

State officials, section governments and nonprofit organizations are scrambling to get the connection retired to families and to redirect millions of dollars successful emergency backing to banal much nutrient astatine section nutrient banks aliases load gift cards for the neediest families, but galore opportunity the capacity to respond is insufficient — and are bracing for a deluge of need.

“People really don’t understand the standard and scope of what is happening and the ripple effect it will person connected the system and pinch group conscionable gathering their basal needs,” said Angela F. Williams, president and main executive of United Way.

Already, United Way is seeing an uptick successful calls to its 211 centers nationwide from group looking for thief pinch groceries, inferior bills and rent, Williams said. “There’s a captious situation that has been brewing for a while, and it’s reaching a fevered pitch.”

Cheyne said galore families are good alert of the looming disruption to assistance and scrambling to prepare, including by going to authorities nutrient banks for groceries. Newsom has activated the National Guard to thief grip that influx successful California.

However, Cheyne said galore others will apt find retired about the disruption while opinionated successful section market shop checkouts.

“We expect a immense surge successful group highly upset to find retired that they’ve virtually shopped, and the groceries are successful their cart, and their kids are about apt pinch them, and past they get to the checkout, and past it’s, ‘transaction denied: insufficient funds.’”

Children and older group — who dress up much than 63% of SNAP recipients successful California — going quiet crossed America is simply a dire capable governmental spectacle that politicians of some parties person worked aggressively to forestall it successful the past, including during erstwhile authorities shutdowns. But this clip around, they look resigned to that outcome.

Members of the subject and their families person free nutrient donated by Feeding San Diego nutrient slope connected October 24, 2025 successful San Diego, California.

(Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images)

Republicans and Democrats person been incapable to scope a woody connected the fund impasse arsenic Democrats conflict Republicans complete their determination to slash healthcare subsidies relied connected by millions of Americans. With nary extremity successful show to the about month-long shutdown, national workers who are either furloughed aliases moving without salary — including galore successful California — are facing financial strain and progressively showing up astatine nutrient pantries, officials said.

A deluge of SNAP recipients will only adhd to the lines, and immoderate nutrient slope leaders are becoming progressively worried about information astatine those accommodation if they are overwhelmed by need.

Pointing fingers

In a statement posted to its website Monday, the Department of Agriculture wrote that Senate Democrats had many times voted not to reconstruct the SNAP costs by passing a short-term Republican spending measure.

“Bottom line, the good has tally dry,” it said. “We are approaching an inflection constituent for Senate Democrats.”

The Trump management had said Friday that it cannot legally dip into contingency costs to proceed backing SNAP backing into November, moreover arsenic it uses non-traditional intends to salary for the salaries of active-duty subject and national rule enforcement.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, walks done Statuary Hall astatine the U.S. Capitol successful Washington, D.C., connected Tuesday.

(Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The management has utilized tariff gross to temporarily money the Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program, which serves about 6.7 cardinal women and children nationally, though it is unclear really agelong it will proceed do so. The California Department of Public Health said the authorities WIC program, which supports about half of each babies calved successful California, should “remain afloat operational done November 30, assuming nary unexpected changes.”

On Capitol Hill, negotiations to extremity the shutdown person mostly crushed to a halt. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) erstwhile again refused to telephone members backmost into convention this week, sparking disapproval from Democrats and immoderate Republicans who want to discuss a woody to reopen the government. In the Senate, negotiations stay astatine a stalemate.

Senate Democrats, meanwhile, person relentlessly blamed President Trump and his management for causing the disruption to nutrient aid, conscionable arsenic they person blamed the president for the shutdown overall.

“Donald Trump has the powerfulness to guarantee 40 cardinal group don’t spell quiet during the shutdown. But he wishes to inflict the maximum symptom connected those who could slightest spend it. He won’t money food. But he’s happy to build a aureate ballroom,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) wrote Monday connected X.

Schiff was referring to a $250-million ballroom Trump has planned for the White House, which he precocious group into mobility by demolishing the historical East Wing.

A personnel of the U.S. Navy waits successful statement to person free nutrient from volunteers pinch Feeding San Diego nutrient slope connected October 24, 2025 successful San Diego, California.

(Sandy Huffanker/AFP via Getty Images)

State and section responses

States person responded to the looming trim successful different ways. Some person promised to backfill SNAP backing from their ain coffers, though national officials person warned they will not beryllium reimbursed.

Newsom has stood up the National Guard and directed tens of millions of dollars to authorities nutrient banks, but has made nary promises to straight supplement missing SNAP benefits pinch authorities dollars — contempt defense groups calling connected him to do so.

On Friday, dozens of organizations wrote a missive to Newsom and different authorities officials estimating the full magnitude of lapsed backing for November to beryllium about $1.1 billion, and calling connected them to usage authorities costs to screen the full magnitude to forestall “a situation of unthinkable magnitude.”

Carlos Marquez III, executive head of the County Welfare Directors Assn. of California, said counties and different section agencies are responding successful a number of ways, including making contributions to section nutrient banks and looking for ways to redirect section costs — and find matching philanthropic dollars — to straight backfill missing SNAP benefits.

Los Angeles County, which has about 1.5 cardinal SNAP recipients, has already approved a $10-million expenditure to support section nutrient banks, its Department of Children and Family Services has identified an further $2 cardinal to redirect, and its partners providing managed attraction plans to SNAP recipients person committed different $5 million, he said.

He said his group has advocated for Newsom to state a statewide emergency, which would thief equalize the consequence statewide and let for communal assistance agreements betwixt wealthier and poorer areas.

He said his group besides is advocating for the authorities to statesman utilizing schoolhouse luncheon programs to nonstop further nutrient to families pinch younger children astatine home, and to activity pinch section elder attraction accommodation to make judge aged SNAP recipients are besides being helped.

What comes next?

Williams, of United Way, said the organization’s section chapters are “looking for partners connected the ground” to supply further support moving forward, arsenic needs will persist.

“It seems for illustration each time the needs conscionable go much and much pressing, and I’m concerned, honestly, not only about the economical toll that is being taken connected individuals, I’m concerned about the intelligence wellness and affectional toll this is taking connected people,” Williams said. “My dream is that group from each sectors will measurement up and say, ‘How could we beryllium bully neighbors?’”

On Friday, National Guard troops began a 30-day deployment astatine the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, wherever they are sorting nutrient and packing nutrient boxes. Due to “heightened concern” successful the organization about the military’s domiciled successful Trump’s migration crackdown, the troops will beryllium moving successful warehouses and not interacting straight pinch the public, said Chief Executive Michael Flood.

Flood said location has already been a surge successful request from laid-off national workers successful Los Angeles, but he’s expecting request to summation markedly opening Saturday and building up distribution capacity akin to lucifer what was successful spot during the tallness of the COVID-19 pandemic — which seemed odd, considering “this is simply a man-made disaster.”

“It doesn’t person to happen,” Flood said. “Folks successful D.C. could forestall this from happening.”