The federal government shutdown is approaching the one-month mark, and as it continues to drag on food benefits for nearly 42 million people nationwide are in limbo.
The USDA has announced that due to the shutdown no food stamp benefits, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will be issued Nov. 1.
By extension California’s version of SNAP, known as CalFresh, will also be paused, leaving the more than five million Californians who rely on these benefits in a state of uncertainty.
Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration along with more than 20 other states, arguing the refusal to fund SNAP benefits is unlawful.
Local 211 helplines and other referral services are already seeing spikes in food assistance-related calls ahead of the November cutoff, reaching all-time high levels.
In Sacramento County these requests have already shown recent volatility, and they are coming as social safety net services are facing increased demand without additional resources..
Ethan Dye is the director of the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance, which is responsible for administering CalFresh benefits to 270,000 people along with other assistance programs like CalWORKS, Medicaid and foster care assistance.
Dye spoke with Insight Host Vicki Gonzalez about the preparations the county is making to navigate this challenging moment, and provide for the many people that rely on these benefits to feed themselves and their loved ones.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
The government shutdown started on Oct. 1. How have you been navigating this uncertainty on the county level, especially as these federal benefits will be paused come Nov. 1?
We have done a lot of messaging to our customers in multiple languages, multiple formats. We believe individuals need to know what is going on. The state and county have looked at a variety of different methods… is there anything we can do to be able to add a benefit, to do things that the federal government can’t or is not funded to do today? And unfortunately that’s not something that can happen.
So what we’re doing is making sure folks know: call 211, go to your food banks. We’re trying to do a big messaging campaign with the food banks to say, “what do you really need?” So don’t just go to a food bank and say, “we have these things in our pantry,” but what do food banks really need for the community, so we’re able to maximize that effort?
Why are SNAP and CalFresh benefits being impacted? Aren’t they considered mandatory benefits even during a shutdown?
Unfortunately, it is not. It is an entitlement program. However, because the way the shutdown is, and it’s based on actual funding, there is no funding or allocation for the SNAP program. Therefore, there is no money [for] states to be able to pay onto the cards.
On the USDA’s homepage it says no benefits will be issued Nov. 1. How does that trickle down and impact the network of organizations and individuals in counties like Sacramento?
It is a massive network and ecosystem. It’s going to have a huge impact. We have 270,000 individuals who rely on CalFresh benefits, 90,000 of those are children. So with folks not being able to eat, we know that if you’re hungry you may not be able to concentrate in school, or your parents are going to be working overtime and doing things to figure out how they can bring more resources to the household and the family.
Really it’s about getting the communication out and figuring out what all the resources that the community has that we’re able to navigate people to.
You mentioned working with the state. Can they step in to buffer the pausing of federal food assistance?
The state cannot. The CalFresh benefit is 100% federally funded, and because [of] that there is no mechanism for the state to actually put money onto a card. And so, what that does is it creates the vacuum that we’re seeing today that we’re all gravely concerned about.
What is the average amount that a family or household receives if they’re eligible for CalFresh in Sacramento County?
We have approximately 150,000 cases, a case is a family household, and it’s about $370 a month.
I also want to make a clarification that, in Sacramento and in the state of California, food benefits are issued by the last digit of a case number. So, if your last digit is a one, you get paid on the first, second, two, etc. So, if the federal government is able to come to a collective agreement, and fund CalFresh or fund SNAP, there may be a couple-day delay but other folks may not see an impact to their benefits because we issue over a 10-day period.
The longest government shutdown in history spanned 35 days and was back in 2018 during President Trump’s first term. How did Sacramento County navigate that time?
It was different because there was a different interpretation of how much money the federal government would keep in certain benefits. At one point a few years ago, they had two months worth of benefits that they would keep in a contingency. Now they have one month, which was October. And, the federal government is also not utilizing the contingency they have currently, which is about $5 billion, to fund benefits because they say they don’t have the authority to do so.
Have you ever encountered a situation like this where CalFresh can be paused?
I have been with the department for 20 years, and I never thought I’d be having this conversation. This is absolutely unprecedented, and it’s honestly the first time in my career and for my staff… not really having that ability to feel like we don’t have our hands tied. We’re doing everything we can, we’re working with the state [which is] doing everything they can, but this is a very different issue than we have ever seen.
When it comes to social services, and the related supports and infrastructure, why is funding them such a challenge?
Funding is a challenge really because of how the dollars come in. Whether it’s its property taxes, state allocations and how other funding is brought in, and the cost of living is high for all of us. So when you start to see resources changing, then you start to see what we’re really feeling today.
I think one of the other issues that we see is federal policy changes that also impact the community. House Resolution 1 has a significant impact for us come October of next year. What that means is, the way CalFresh is funded today it’s 50% federal, 35% state, and 15% county. But with House Resolution 1 it changes to 25% federal, so the state and county have to now bridge another 25%. And as you start looking at the dollars that are in [the] community and how budgets play out, it becomes significant.
What would you like the 270,000 residents in the county who rely on CalFresh to know as we inch closer to Nov. 1?
There’s so many things. I wish we could have been able to get messaging out at the state level and county level a little faster, so people can make informed decisions on whether they wanted to maintain benefits or go to other resources sooner so benefits could stay on their card. What I really want to say is, don’t let this impact your ability to reach out. If you need to apply for benefits, come see us. Once the shutdown is over we’re able to get you on and get you benefits.
Go to 211. Reach out to your community. Talk to your food banks. Do whatever you can do to maintain your family, yourself and do the best you can to be healthy.
Should new or renewing applicants still follow the process, even if the shutdown continues?
Absolutely. If you are not on CalFresh now and you feel like you need it in the future, come do an application. You can apply, call us, you can click online, you can come into one of our offices. If you have a renewal coming up, do your renewal. Don’t let there be a lapse in benefits.
If CalFresh is paused come Nov. 1, what other resources for food are available for those who qualify?
Right now all we really have at our disposal is having folks reach out to the food banks. We know that the governor released $80 million that was already in the budget to be allocated. He’s moved it out faster, but we also need the community to step up… and this is not going to be an easy situation. We can all do a piece to make sure the folks are able to get through this.
You can hear more of Dye’s conversation about the potential disruption of CalFresh benefits and how his department works with the 211 helpline here.
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