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The California Report

California's Food Banks Mobilize to Fill Benefits Gap Left by Gov. Shutdown

Bejan Siavoshy
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a news conference ``to discuss the stakes in his lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration's unlawful decision to indefinitely suspend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the federal government shutdown.'' CalFresh is the California version of SNAP. Bonta will be joined by Michael Flood, president/CEO of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Photo taken at Los Angeles Regional Food Bank in Los Angeles Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Here are this morning’s headlines for the morning of November 3rd, 2025: 

  • The government shutdown has left the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in funding limbo–after two judges on Friday ordered a reticent Trump Administration to fund the food aid program with the $5 billion in contingency funds the USDA has on hand. Meanwhile, millions of Californians who rely on the state’s version of SNAP–CalFresh–to stay fed are left wondering where their next meals will come from. Food pantries throughout the state are gearing up to meet the demand.
  • Meanwhile, Democratic Senator, Adam Schiff says his party is pushing to get SNAP funded while also ending the political stalemate in Washington.

What You Need to Know as California Food Pantries Get Ready for a Surge in Demand

If you’re one of the 5.5 million Californians who use CalFresh — the state’s version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — you should now expect your November SNAP payments on your EBT card to be “delayed” due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, according to the state.

That somber revelation has foodbanks throughout California marshalling up all available resources to meet the coming surge in demand, especially ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. We’ll walk you through how to find your nearest foodbank, what to expect and how to get involved in donations–while SNAP funding lingers in legal limbo.

On Friday, two federal judges ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to fund SNAP, and gave the administration’s deadline to make its decision is today. President

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Trump responded on social media that he had “instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible,” but that “even if we get immediate guidance, it will unfortunately be delayed while States get the money out.” The administration had previously claimed that it could not use the USDA’s contingency fund of around $6 billion to fund SNAP benefits in November.

Senator Schiff Says President Trump Key to Breaking Shutdown Stalemate, Fund SNAP

California Senator Adam Schiff is calling on President Trump to get involved in congressional negotiations to fund SNAP and end the government shutdown in DC.

During an interview with KCRA in Los Angeles over the weekend, Schiff said, once President Trump returns from his trip overseas, he may be more receptive to striking a deal to end the shutdown, because “now that I think Americans are seeing their insurance costs, I think it is really increasing the pressure on the White House to try to fix this.”

President Trump spent nearly half the duration of the shutdown traveling outside of Washington. 

 

 

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