California has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its alleged refusal to fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, known as CalFresh in the state, amidst an ongoing government shutdown.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the legal action on Tuesday, arguing that the USDA possesses appropriated contingency funds that could be used to advance November SNAP benefits despite the shutdown.
Multi-State Legal Challenge and Contingency Funds
California is joined by 20 other states, including Arizona and Massachusetts, in the lawsuit. They contend that the USDA is illegally withholding funds that were explicitly set aside by Congress for such a contingency.
“USDA shall, their own words, 9/30 memo, just weeks ago, they said the reason we have the contingency plan is appropriated by Congress is to, in case there is a government shutdown, to advance these funds to address and mitigate this potential looming crisis, period, full stop, not complicated,” Governor Newsom stated.
USDA Stance and Shutdown Context
The USDA posted a notice on its website on Monday announcing that SNAP benefits will be paused starting November 1st. The department reportedly stated that its $5 billion in contingency funds are “not legally available” for SNAP benefits during a shutdown, as those funds are reserved for natural disasters and other emergencies, according to a Reuters report.
The USDA website notice also included a strongly worded statement criticizing Democrats for the continued shutdown: “We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”
The government shutdown began on October 1st after Senate Democrats opposed a bill to fund the government and rejected a clean funding measure to reopen the government for the 13th time on Tuesday.
California’s Emergency Measures
In response to the anticipated aid delay, Governor Newsom on Wednesday will deploy the state’s National Guard to support food banks.
Furthermore, California’s press release on the lawsuit announced the state will fast-track $80 million of its own funds to “stabilize food bank food distribution and offset delays in federal CalFresh benefits” for its 5.5 million residents who rely on the program.
Newsom criticized Republicans in Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, over the shutdown, framing the situation as an act of “intentional cruelty.”
He added, “Cruelty is the policy. That’s what this is about. It’s intentional cruelty, intentionally creating anxiety for millions and millions of people, 5.5 million here in our home state.”
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