CalFresh benefits likely won’t reload in November, Gov. Gavin Newsom warns
California residents who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, otherwise known as SNAP, or CalFresh in California, will likely not get assistance in November if the government shutdown continues past Thursday.
It’s the latest chapter in the shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, and has led to projected increases in health care premiums, furloughs and layoffs of government employees, and shuttering of visitor centers at national parks.
“Trump’s failure to open the federal government is now endangering people’s lives and making basic needs like food more expensive — just as the holidays arrive,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in an emailed statement.
He added a rebuke to Republicans, who are in a blame game with Democrats over whose fault the shutdown is: “It is long past time for Republicans in Congress to grow a spine, stand up to Trump, and deliver for the American people.”
About 5.5 million Californians access CalFresh, and the average monthly household benefit is $189 per recipient, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. According to the Governor’s Office, 63.2% of SNAP participants are children or elderly.
Newsom’s warning follows a letter sent by the California Department of Social Services advising welfare directors and CalFresh specialists in all 58 counties that the federal government would not be able to pay November 2025 SNAP benefits. CalFresh benefits are fully funded by the federal government.
The letter, signed by CDSS officials Alexis Fernandez Garcia and Ryan Gillette, advised welfare directors to communicate with CalFresh recipients in their counties that benefits are funded through October, but if the shutdown continues past Thursday Oct. 23, November benefits “may be delayed.”
Garcia and Gillette said there would be further guidance to follow if the shutdown continues beyond November 2025.
