SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As the federal government shutdown stretches into its 30th day, California officials are scrambling to limit the fallout — including looming cuts to federal food assistance and rising healthcare premiums, set to hit this weekend.
With Congress still in political gridlock, state leaders say millions of Californians could feel the impact, perhaps immediately.
“[It’s] another consequence of politicians in D.C. not doing their jobs,” said Rep. Kevin Kiley (R–Rocklin).
On Thursday, Kiley sponsored the Keep SNAP Funded Act of 2025, which would guarantee continued food assistance payments during the shutdown.
The proposal follows confirmation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that it will no longer fund SNAP starting Nov. 1, citing a lack of appropriations from Congress. That would halt monthly benefits for more than 5 million Californians who rely on CalFresh, the state’s version of the federal program.
“We’re trying to at least mitigate the negative consequences for people through bills like the SNAP bill,” Kiley said.
He’s joined by a small bipartisan group pushing to protect military pay, federal workers, and air traffic controllers from funding lapses — though the House of Representatives has been in recess for five consecutive weeks.
“We can’t pass legislation or really do anything as a body,” Kiley said.
And with the Senate now in recess for the weekend, the shutdown will continue until at least next week.
Democrats also weighed in Thursday, in a phone call led by the Democratic National Committee.
They warned of another looming crisis: a spike in health insurance premiums if federal subsidies for the Affordable Care Act expire at the end of the year.
“I know in California and other places around the country, people are getting letters as to how much this will cost,” said Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D–San Francisco) in that Zoom call.
According to Covered California, if the enhanced premium tax credits aren’t renewed, monthly payments could increase by an average of 97%.
All of this comes as the state’s open enrollment period begins Saturday.
“They will be forced to pay a lot more without a solution here,” Kiley said, adding that at least a temporary resolution must be reached to ensure Americans are protected throughout the shutdown.
Kiley, who has been critical of his party in recent weeks, added that the simplest path forward would be to reopen the government. He also noted he’s continuing to ask House Speaker Mike Johnson to call the House back in to session so that the lawmakers could converse in the same space, which they now have not done for over a month.
Meanwhile, Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta are leading a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing the USDA has the funds to continue SNAP but is refusing to use them.
They’ve filed both a complaint and temporary restraining order. The TRO asks for the judge to issue an expedited ruling, immediately releasing SNAP funding for November.
A federal court heard arguments on the TRO Thursday morning, but no ruling has been issued.
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