'I'm terrified': Hunger looms as millions prepare to lose food aid amid shutdown

[ad_1] Michaela Thompson, an unemployed mom within the San Fernando Valley, depends on federal help to afford the specialised child system her 15-month-old daughter wants due to a feeding dysfunction. At $47 for a five-day provide, it’s out of her attain in any other case.

However with the federal shutdown blocking upcoming disbursements of Supplemental Vitamin Help Program advantages — beforehand generally known as meals stamps — Thompson mentioned she doesn’t know the way she’s going to fill her daughter’s bottles.

“It feels just like the world is form of crumbling proper now,” she mentioned. “I’m terrified for my household and my daughter.”

Hundreds of thousands of low-income households who depend on SNAP advantages to place meals on the desk in California and throughout the nation — about 1 in 8 People — are confronting related fears this week, as federal and state officers warn that November funds won't be issued with out a decision to the continuing federal shutdown and Congress exhibits no signal of a breakthrough.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta introduced Tuesday that California is becoming a member of different Democrat-led states in suing the Trump administration to power SNAP funds by way of using contingency funds, however the litigation — even when profitable — gained’t stop all of the disruptions.

<img class="image" alt="National Guard solders help workers and volunteers pack boxes of produce" srcset="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c4bc57e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5070x3311+0+0/resize/320x209!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff2%2F4b%2F3ec82a754333887e725e7ef7d977%2F1527248-me-national-guard-food-bank-ajs-07.jpg 320w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/622f716/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5070x3311+0+0/resize/568x371!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff2%2F4b%2F3ec82a754333887e725e7ef7d977%2F1527248-me-national-guard-food-bank-ajs-07.jpg 568w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/22fb464/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5070x3311+0+0/resize/768x502!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff2%2F4b%2F3ec82a754333887e725e7ef7d977%2F1527248-me-national-guard-food-bank-ajs-07.jpg 768w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/59e6404/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5070x3311+0+0/resize/1024x669!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff2%2F4b%2F3ec82a754333887e725e7ef7d977%2F1527248-me-national-guard-food-bank-ajs-07.jpg 1024w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/025c7e5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5070x3311+0+0/resize/1200x784!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff2%2F4b%2F3ec82a754333887e725e7ef7d977%2F1527248-me-national-guard-food-bank-ajs-07.jpg 1200w" sizes="100vw" width="1200" height="784" src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/025c7e5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5070x3311+0+0/resize/1200x784!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff2%2F4b%2F3ec82a754333887e725e7ef7d977%2F1527248-me-national-guard-food-bank-ajs-07.jpg" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/> Military specialist Jazmine Contreras, middle, and personal top notch Vivian Almaraz, proper, of the fortieth Division Sustainment Brigade, Military Nationwide Guard, Los Alamitos, assist employees and volunteers pack bins of produce on the Los Angeles Regional Meals Financial institution on Friday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Occasions)

It's already too late for a few of the 5.5 million California residents — together with 2 million kids — who depend on such advantages to obtain them in time to purchase groceries after Friday, when many can have already used up their October advantages, state officers mentioned. Advocates warned of a tidal wave of want as dwelling pantries and CalFresh playing cards run empty — which they mentioned is now not a threat, however a certainty.

“We're previous the purpose at which it's potential to forestall hurt,” mentioned Andrew Cheyne, managing director of public coverage on the group Finish Baby Poverty California.

About 41.7 million People have been served by way of SNAP per 30 days in fiscal 2024, at an annual value of practically $100 billion, in line with the US Division of Agriculture.

State officers, native governments and nonprofit organizations are scrambling to get the phrase out to households and to redirect tens of millions of {dollars} in emergency funding to inventory extra meals at native meals banks or load reward playing cards for the neediest households, however many say the capability to reply is inadequate — and are bracing for a deluge of want.

“Individuals actually don’t perceive the size and scope of what's taking place and the ripple impact it'll have on the economic system and with folks simply assembly their fundamental wants,” mentioned Angela F. Williams, president and chief govt of United Means.

Already, United Means is seeing an uptick in calls to its 211 facilities nationwide from folks on the lookout for assist with groceries, utility payments and hire, Williams mentioned. “There’s a essential disaster that has been brewing for some time, and it’s reaching a fevered pitch.”

Cheyne mentioned many households are properly conscious of the looming disruption to help and scrambling to organize, together with by going to state meals banks for groceries. Newsom has activated the Nationwide Guard to assist deal with that inflow in California.

Nevertheless, Cheyne mentioned many others will probably discover out concerning the disruption whereas standing in native grocery retailer checkouts.

“We anticipate an enormous surge in folks extraordinarily upset to seek out out that they’ve actually shopped, and the groceries are of their cart, and their children are most likely with them, after which they get to the checkout, after which it’s, ‘transaction denied: inadequate funds.’”

Youngsters and older folks — who make up greater than 63% of SNAP recipients in California — going hungry throughout America is a dire sufficient political spectacle that politicians of each events have labored aggressively to forestall it previously, together with throughout earlier authorities shutdowns. However this time round, they appear resigned to that end result.

<img class="image" alt="Members of the military and their families receive free food" srcset="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9ad07d4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x5464+0+0/resize/320x213!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff4%2F62%2Fb3945d434ba29e8d742d08298dca%2Fgettyimages-2242746146.jpg 320w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0d2fc5a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x5464+0+0/resize/568x379!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff4%2F62%2Fb3945d434ba29e8d742d08298dca%2Fgettyimages-2242746146.jpg 568w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/297f74f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x5464+0+0/resize/768x512!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff4%2F62%2Fb3945d434ba29e8d742d08298dca%2Fgettyimages-2242746146.jpg 768w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e829062/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x5464+0+0/resize/1024x683!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff4%2F62%2Fb3945d434ba29e8d742d08298dca%2Fgettyimages-2242746146.jpg 1024w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9bbc280/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x5464+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff4%2F62%2Fb3945d434ba29e8d742d08298dca%2Fgettyimages-2242746146.jpg 1200w" sizes="100vw" width="1200" height="800" src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9bbc280/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x5464+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff4%2F62%2Fb3945d434ba29e8d742d08298dca%2Fgettyimages-2242746146.jpg" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/> Members of the army and their households obtain free meals donated by Feeding San Diego meals financial institution on October 24, 2025 in San Diego, California.

(Sandy Huffaker/AFP through Getty Photographs)

Republicans and Democrats have been unable to succeed in a deal on the funds deadlock as Democrats battle Republicans over their determination to slash healthcare subsidies relied on by tens of millions of People. Without end to the practically month-long shutdown, federal employees who're both furloughed or working with out pay — together with many in California — are going through monetary pressure and more and more displaying up at meals pantries, officers mentioned.

A deluge of SNAP recipients will solely add to the traces, and a few meals financial institution leaders have gotten more and more frightened about safety at these services if they're overwhelmed by want.

Pointing fingers In a press release posted to its web site Monday, the Division of Agriculture wrote that Senate Democrats had repeatedly voted to not restore the SNAP funds by passing a short-term Republican spending measure.

“Backside line, the properly has run dry,” it mentioned. “We're approaching an inflection level for Senate Democrats.”

The Trump administration had mentioned Friday that it can not legally dip into contingency funds to proceed funding SNAP funding into November, even because it makes use of non-traditional means to pay for the salaries of active-duty army and federal regulation enforcement.

<img class="image" alt="US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, walks through Statuary Hall" srcset="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7aba8b8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2668+0+0/resize/320x213!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff1%2F14%2F4420081845b0af6bdc1aa8fbdf3c%2Fgettyimages-2243370016.jpg 320w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4ce7c89/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2668+0+0/resize/568x379!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff1%2F14%2F4420081845b0af6bdc1aa8fbdf3c%2Fgettyimages-2243370016.jpg 568w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a008fa3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2668+0+0/resize/768x512!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff1%2F14%2F4420081845b0af6bdc1aa8fbdf3c%2Fgettyimages-2243370016.jpg 768w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7b42fb9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2668+0+0/resize/1024x683!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff1%2F14%2F4420081845b0af6bdc1aa8fbdf3c%2Fgettyimages-2243370016.jpg 1024w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/015464a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2668+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff1%2F14%2F4420081845b0af6bdc1aa8fbdf3c%2Fgettyimages-2243370016.jpg 1200w" sizes="100vw" width="1200" height="800" src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/015464a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2668+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff1%2F14%2F4420081845b0af6bdc1aa8fbdf3c%2Fgettyimages-2243370016.jpg" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/> Home Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, walks by way of Statuary Corridor on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

(Samuel Corum/Bloomberg through Getty Photographs)

The administration has used tariff income to briefly fund the Girls, Infants and Youngsters Vitamin Program, which serves about 6.7 million girls and kids nationally, although it's unclear how lengthy it'll proceed achieve this. The California Division of Public Well being mentioned the state WIC program, which helps about half of all infants born in California, ought to “stay totally operational by way of November 30, assuming no sudden modifications.”

On Capitol Hill, negotiations to finish the shutdown have largely floor to a halt. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as soon as once more refused to name members again into session this week, sparking criticism from Democrats and a few Republicans who need to negotiate a deal to reopen the federal government. Within the Senate, negotiations stay at a stalemate.

Senate Democrats, in the meantime, have relentlessly blamed President Trump and his administration for inflicting the disruption to meals help, simply as they've blamed the president for the shutdown total.

“Donald Trump has the ability to make sure 40 million folks don’t go hungry through the shutdown. However he needs to inflict the utmost ache on those that can least afford it. He gained’t fund meals. However he’s blissful to construct a golden ballroom,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) wrote Monday on X.

Schiff was referring to a $250-million ballroom Trump has deliberate for the White Home, which he not too long ago set into movement by demolishing the historic East Wing.

<img class="image" alt="A member of the US Navy waits in line among people of the military community to receive free food" srcset="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ca19407/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7417x4882+0+0/resize/320x211!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fed%2F40%2F9579025d49d8b79325cd740d3229%2Fgettyimages-2242746590.jpg 320w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/89a3ca4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7417x4882+0+0/resize/568x374!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fed%2F40%2F9579025d49d8b79325cd740d3229%2Fgettyimages-2242746590.jpg 568w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/af8c0ff/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7417x4882+0+0/resize/768x506!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fed%2F40%2F9579025d49d8b79325cd740d3229%2Fgettyimages-2242746590.jpg 768w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d04f234/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7417x4882+0+0/resize/1024x674!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fed%2F40%2F9579025d49d8b79325cd740d3229%2Fgettyimages-2242746590.jpg 1024w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7e6907d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7417x4882+0+0/resize/1200x790!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fed%2F40%2F9579025d49d8b79325cd740d3229%2Fgettyimages-2242746590.jpg 1200w" sizes="100vw" width="1200" height="790" src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7e6907d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7417x4882+0+0/resize/1200x790!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fed%2F40%2F9579025d49d8b79325cd740d3229%2Fgettyimages-2242746590.jpg" decoding="async" loading="lazy"/> A member of the U.S. Navy waits in line to obtain free meals from volunteers with Feeding San Diego meals financial institution on October 24, 2025 in San Diego, California.

(Sandy Huffanker/AFP through Getty Photographs)

State and native responses States have responded to the looming reduce in numerous methods. Some have promised to backfill SNAP funding from their very own coffers, although federal officers have warned they won't be reimbursed.

Newsom has stood up the Nationwide Guard and directed tens of tens of millions of {dollars} to state meals banks, however has made no guarantees to immediately complement lacking SNAP advantages with state {dollars} — regardless of advocacy teams calling on him to take action.

On Friday, dozens of organizations wrote a letter to Newsom and different state officers estimating the full quantity of lapsed funding for November to be about $1.1 billion, and calling on them to make use of state funds to cowl the full quantity to forestall “a disaster of unthinkable magnitude.”

Carlos Marquez III, govt director of the County Welfare Administrators Assn. of California, mentioned counties and different native companies are responding in quite a few methods, together with making contributions to native meals banks and on the lookout for methods to redirect native funds — and discover matching philanthropic {dollars} — to immediately backfill lacking SNAP advantages.

Los Angeles County, which has about 1.5 million SNAP recipients, has already permitted a $10-million expenditure to assist native meals banks, its Division of Youngsters and Household Providers has recognized a further $2 million to redirect, and its companions offering managed care plans to SNAP recipients have dedicated one other $5 million, he mentioned.

He mentioned his group has advocated for Newsom to declare a statewide emergency, which might assist equalize the response statewide and permit for mutual help agreements between wealthier and poorer areas.

He mentioned his group is also advocating for the state to start utilizing college lunch applications to direct extra meals to households with youthful kids at dwelling, and to work with native senior care services to ensure aged SNAP recipients are additionally being helped.

What comes subsequent? Williams, of United Means, mentioned the group’s native chapters are “on the lookout for companions on the bottom” to supply extra assist transferring ahead, as wants will persist.

“It looks like on daily basis the wants simply grow to be increasingly more urgent, and I’m involved, actually, not solely concerning the financial toll that's being taken on people, I’m involved concerning the psychological well being and emotional toll that is taking up folks,” Williams mentioned. “My hope is that individuals from all sectors will step up and say, ‘How can we be good neighbors?’”

On Friday, Nationwide Guard troops started a 30-day deployment on the Los Angeles Regional Meals Financial institution, the place they're sorting produce and packing meals bins. Resulting from “heightened concern” in the neighborhood concerning the army’s function in Trump’s immigration crackdown, the troops shall be working in warehouses and never interacting immediately with the general public, mentioned Chief Govt Michael Flood.

Flood mentioned there has already been a surge in demand from laid-off federal employees in Los Angeles, however he’s anticipating demand to extend markedly starting Saturday and build up distribution capability just like match what was in place through the top of the COVID-19 pandemic — which appeared odd, contemplating “this can be a man-made catastrophe.”