As the U.S. federal government shutdown enters its 36th day, the food crisis facing low-income residents is causing widespread concern and worry. In Southern California, potentially millions of people are being affected.
Mr. Zhang, who is from China and preparing to apply for asylum in Los Angeles, is facing difficulties as he is unable to work and has limited cash on hand due to expenses such as rent and transportation. To save money, he has resorted to visiting a nearby food bank every month. While he is legally in the U.S., he may not meet the requirements for welfare assistance, but the immense economic pressure leaves him with little choice.
In the four counties of Southern California, including Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, Orange County, and Riverside County, there are millions of people receiving food assistance through the CalFresh program, which is funded by federal SNAP funds. According to data from the California Food Bank Association, Los Angeles County has 1.57 million recipients, San Bernardino County has 377,000, Orange County has 318,000, Riverside County has 345,000, and statewide CalFresh recipients reach 5.508 million. As of Wednesday, there is still no exact date for the distribution of SNAP program aid.
Food bank recipients include not only new immigrants and the unemployed but also predominantly seniors and children, as well as veterans, homeless individuals, persons with disabilities, and even university students, including federal employees who are not receiving pay due to the government shutdown. It is estimated that tens of thousands of federal workers may go without pay during the shutdown. The increasing number of people in need has doubled the workload of food banks, leading California to deploy the National Guard to assist in food distribution efforts.
According to the California Policy Lab (CPL), between 400,000 and 750,000 university students in California are eligible for SNAP benefits, but only about 20% of eligible students are actually receiving assistance. Community colleges have 276,000 students receiving these benefits, while the number of benefit recipients in the state university system is similar to that of community colleges.
This weekend, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) providing food for low-income families will expire. The federal government is working to restore America’s largest food assistance program. Following a federal court ruling, the Trump administration will tap into emergency reserve funds to begin distributing aid this week. However, with an estimated $9.2 billion in SNAP funds expected to be used in November and emergency reserve funds of only $4.65 billion, it can only address the most immediate needs. The government shutdown will likely exacerbate the crisis if it continues.
While the issue is temporarily being alleviated, ultimately the federal government must resume operations to address the situation.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins stated in an interview with Fox News that the food program is plagued by serious issues of “corruption and fraud”.
In February, the Department of Agriculture requested usage data on SNAP benefits from states, but only 29 states complied with this requirement. The department discovered that about 5,000 deceased individuals were still receiving benefits, and tens of thousands of people were fraudulently using food assistance through EBT cards in multiple states. One person was found to have fraudulently obtained benefits in six different states.
As per the recently passed “Big and Beautiful Act”, adults who do not meet exemption requirements must work at least 20 hours per week to receive food assistance.
While awaiting funds, California, local governments, and private organizations have been allocating funds to food banks across the state, expanding food distribution points to prevent low-income residents from going hungry. California has allocated $80 million to support food banks in various counties.
Los Angeles County allocated $10 million to local food banks to enhance their procurement capacity, and an additional $5 million was added to the LACARE health plan for low-income residents to distribute grocery gift cards in the community. Furthermore, donation boxes have been set up at Los Angeles County offices to encourage employees to donate food to the food bank.
Families in the Los Angeles area experiencing food shortages can call 211 to speak to a service representative and receive information on local food banks and emergency food resources.