California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with 22 other state attorneys general, has sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins expressing concern over a possible delay in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November. The action comes after the USDA notified state agencies on October 10 that if the current lapse in federal appropriations continues, there may not be enough funds to pay full SNAP benefits for about 42 million people nationwide.
The USDA’s communication also directed states to pause transmission of November benefit files to their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) vendors until further notice and stated that it had started gathering information in case a contingency plan is needed. As of two weeks after the initial letter, no update has been provided by the USDA regarding such a plan.
Attorney General Bonta said, “Forty-two million individuals in the United States, including approximately 5.5 million Californians, use SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families. In yet another new low, those critical benefits are now at risk thanks to the Trump Administration. Every American — Democrat, Republican, and Independent — should be outraged. When will the President actually focus on ending the government shutdown? Day after day, his attention seems to be directed elsewhere, most recently toward his new $250 million White House ballroom. Today, my fellow attorneys general and I are calling on his U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide us with answers. SNAP benefits should never be an afterthought — protecting the families who rely on these benefits to keep food on the table must be a priority.”
SNAP provides monthly food assistance to low-income families across all U.S. states and territories. In California, this program is known as CalFresh and is managed by the California Department of Social Services. More than 63% of California’s SNAP recipients are children or elderly people.
Following the USDA’s October 10 letter, California’s Department of Social Services informed county agencies about potential delays in November SNAP payments so they could prepare accordingly.
In their letter to Secretary Rollins, the attorneys general questioned both the legal basis for and consequences of USDA’s order for states to hold benefit files for November processing. While acknowledging that USDA can reduce or suspend SNAP benefits under certain circumstances, they noted that it was unclear whether any legal requirements for such actions had been met.
The coalition also pointed out that USDA reportedly has at least $6 billion in reserve funds designated by Congress for emergencies like this one and argued those resources should be used before instructing states to halt payments already calculated for recipients. Additional funding options through Section 32 were also mentioned as possible sources during a shutdown.
The directive from USDA affects vulnerable populations: nearly 39% of SNAP recipients nationwide are children under age 18 and about 20% are adults aged 60 or older. In recent years nearly 85,000 veterans in California have relied on SNAP benefits.
The attorneys general requested answers from USDA by October 27 regarding available contingency funds from prior Congressional appropriations; access to other funding sources such as Section 32; intentions regarding using those funds; reasons behind instructing states to hold November files instead of reducing allotments; and clarification on whether the October 10 letter constitutes suspension or cancellation of benefits under federal regulations.
Attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Hawai’i, Connecticut, Illinois, Delaware, Maine, District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Michigan, New York, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nevada, Oregon, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington joined Bonta in signing today’s letter.
A copy of the letter is available online.
