Due to the government shutdown this fall, the federal government reduced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits across the country on Nov. 1. San Mateo County responded by allocating money to local nonprofits in an attempt to manage food insecurity ahead of future cuts to the program.
The government shutdown, which lasted 43 days and was the longest on record, occurred because Congress failed to pass a bill extending the government’s spending by the Sept. 30 deadline. As a result, non-essential government services were temporarily stopped or reduced and federal workers either worked without pay or were furloughed.
“People working for the government … weren’t getting paychecks,” said Lee Miller, a political science professor at the College of San Mateo. “So if you’re living paycheck to paycheck, and you miss a paycheck, you can’t pay your bills.”
Another major impact of the government shutdown was the delay and temporary incomplete payment of SNAP benefits in November, which left about 42 million Americans without food assistance. SNAP, known as CalFRESH in California, is a federal food aid program that provides low-income individuals with money for groceries through an Electronic Benefit Transfer card each month.
“I remember receiving [an EBT card], which was actually very helpful,” said junior Vivianne Santos, whose family previously received SNAP benefits. “Just a week of groceries helps. Maybe [my family] can’t meet the budget that we’re wanting to, but having that EBT card, it helps.”
The reduction of SNAP benefits left many people unable to afford groceries and escalated pressure on food banks.
“It [increased] the food demand from our existing clients,” said Elida Valencia Sobalvarro, director of the YMCA Community Resource Center in South San Francisco. “[And] we saw new families we had never worked with before come to our food distributions seeking services. [Also], because of having to pay a little bit extra for food, now folks [were] short on rent.”
In response to the broad impact of SNAP benefit reductions, San Mateo County distributed an additional $900,000 to its Core Service Agencies, nonprofits that provide food, shelter and housing assistance to people in need. When California resumed funding of CalFresh on Nov. 7, the county was also preparing to provide CalFRESH recipients with funding in the form of checks, along with other plans, according to Claire Cunningham, Director of the San Mateo County Human Services Agency. Those plans have since been halted.
“It was a good move on the county’s part to [give] what they could to those food banks so they’re at least a little bit closer to meeting [the demand of] those in need,” Santos said.
States also responded to the pause in benefits. 25 states sued the Trump administration over its decision to halt SNAP benefits, and a federal judge ruled that the administration had to pay the benefits in full. However, days later, the Supreme Court issued an emergency ruling that allowed the Trump administration to temporarily continue its restriction of SNAP benefits.
“That was really a terrible situation,” Cunningham said. “And right before Thanksgiving, you almost can’t make up a more cruel impact to people who are already struggling a lot with their day-to-day existence.”
Following weeks of uncertainty for those reliant on SNAP, the benefits were restored across the country after the shutdown ended on Nov. 12. In addition, Congress passed a bill that ensured SNAP funding until Sept. 2026.
However, many people are projected to lose access to benefits as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was passed in July. The bill will restrict eligibility for SNAP benefits, taking millions of Americans out of the program. Many are unhappy with these cuts, which they say withhold support for people who are already struggling.
“If you build a country on liberty and equality, then you have to [uplift] people who are less fortunate,” said junior Kira Partridge. “Cutting [SNAP benefits] … and [not raising people] up to the standard [of] living, that’s going against what America stood for.”
According to the county, nearly 35,000 San Mateo County residents rely on SNAP benefits. Officials say these cuts to SNAP will harm residents and cause more reliance on food banks and other community services.
“These … tremendous policy shifts are going to have a dramatic impact on thousands of San Mateo County residents,” Cunningham said. “We’re going to have a lot more people who rely on other sources of support because the governmental safety net is not nearly as robust as it used to be … That means our communities really need to come together, and neighbors need to help other neighbors out.”
As people reliant on SNAP benefits recover from the government shutdown, they face more uncertainty. SNAP changes caused by the OBBB Act will leave millions without food aid, putting strain on struggling families as well as the local agencies that serve them.
