Courts force Trump admin to pay SNAP benefits, but payments will be reduced and further delayed
For those in need, Long Beach Forward and others have compiled lists of resources, including free hot food and grocery giveaways, in Long Beach and surrounding areas.
The government has been shut down for over a month as Republicans continue to fail to secure sufficient votes to pass a federal budget. As a result, crucial social programs have gone unfunded, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
More than 42 million Americans, including 1.5 million Los Angeles County residents and 93,000 Long Beach residents, rely on SNAP (also known as CalFresh in California). Funding for the program ran out over the weekend, leaving many wondering how they will feed themselves and their children.
There is a $4.65 billion contingency fund that can be used to cover SNAP benefits in a pinch. The Trump administration was resistant to using those funds amid the government shutdown, but a federal judge ruled Friday that the Agriculture Department must disperse funding.
In a declaration submitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, Monday, Patrick Penn, the Department of Agriculture official who oversees SNAP, said the administration "intends to deplete SNAP contingency funds completely and provide reduced SNAP benefits for November 2025."
Another $4 billion is needed to fully fund November benefits, according to the court documents. Separately, Justice Department lawyers told the court that the administration will "fulfill its obligation to expend the full amount of SNAP contingency funds,” but declined to use $4 billion in Section 32 Child Nutrition Program funds to provide full payments.
Instead, the Trump administration is sending information to states on how to calculate the reduced payments for each household, which Penn said “could lead to payment errors and significant delays.”
So individuals and families are left wondering when payments will come and can expect less than normal when they do.
To assist those individuals and families, many of whom do have jobs but are not paid a living wage or are incapable of working, local organizations have ramped up their assistance programs, which in turn requires more food donations and volunteers to keep people fed.
“In this moment, our community is stepping up,” Mayor Rex Richardson said on a city webpage dedicated to a list of food resources compiled by nonprofit Long Beach Forward.
“This resource has been compiled in response to the Federal Government shutdown led by Trump and Republicans to take away healthcare, food, and education away from millions of people,” the nonprofit said on its resource page.
Long Beach Health and Human Services has a page that outlines local food resources amid the issues with CalFresh benefits, including WIC: Women, Infants and Children, which provinces food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and Food Oasis, an online tool that allows people to search for free meal and pantry sites.
Over the weekend, Richardson announced the LB Food Access Fund — a fundraising effort in partnership with Long Beach Gives, the Nonprofit Partnership and the Mayor's Fund for Long Beach. As of Monday, the fund has collected $1,450 from 21 donors.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced four “large scale” food distribution events in partnership with Los Angeles Regional Food Bank in her district, which includes Long Beach:
- Saturday, Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Pico Rivera Sports Arena (11003 Sports Arena Dr., Pico Rivera)
- Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 9 a.m. to noon at Los Angeles Harbor College (1111 Figueroa Pl., Wilmington)
- Thursday, Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Long Beach City College Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus, formerly Pacific Coast Campus (1305 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach)
- Tuesday, Nov. 26 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hawaiian Gardens Fedde Sports Complex (21301 Elaine Ave., Hawaiian Gardens)
Hahn also is sponsoring weekly Food Finders distribution events this month at Admiral Kidd Park. The first event was held over the weekend, with other events slated for Nov. 8, 15 and 22 starting at 9 a.m. Food Finders is a food rescue nonprofit, which partners with other nonprofits to distribute food across Southern California. See a full list of their pantries here.
“Hardworking LA County residents can’t afford to see their healthcare premiums double and I am proud of our Members of Congress who are fighting hard to prevent it,” Hahn said in a statement. “But while their fight continues, the County is ready to meet this moment and we are marshalling resources to get food to people who need it during this shutdown.”
Editor's note: This story has been updated with information about the LB Food Access Fund.
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