WATCH: Bonta visits food bank amid lawsuit over CalFresh

By Madeline Shannon
The Center Square

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Thursday he is continuing to push for federal emergency contingency funding to restore millions of Californians’ food benefits as the federal government shutdown continues.

California National Guard members worked on sorting and packing food behind Bonta as he talked about the suit during a news conference at Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

He said he expects the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, where he and 22 other attorneys general and three governors filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to rule in their favor.

“We think our arguments were very well-received by the judge,” Bonta said. “The judge also is very clear about the urgency and time sensitivity, so we do expect an order in short order, maybe later today. Nov. 1 is the deadline here, and there is a little bit of a ramp-up time if the order is in our favor, and funds are going to be released.”

The USDA oversees funding of the nation’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, traditionally known as food stamps. More than 41 million people across the country rely on SNAP benefits to feed their families, according to Bonta, and will soon run out of money disbursed to them to buy food.

Congressional representatives in Washington, D.C. have pushed in recent days for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allocate emergency funds to the nation’s SNAP program, which would also give California the money it needs for its CalFresh program. The lawsuit by Bonta and other attorneys general is asking the court to require the USDA to fund SNAP with those emergency funds until the federal government reopens.

The federally-funded SNAP program, known as CalFresh in California, feeds 5.5 million people in the Golden State, according to a press release issued Oct. 20 by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. Of those 5.5 million, approximately 62.3 percent of CalFresh recipients are children or elderly residents.

According to a report from the California Department of Social Services, approximately $1.1 billion is distributed in CalFresh benefits every month.

“This is a disaster type of situation for us here in Los Angeles County, throughout the state of California and throughout the country,” said Michael Flood, CEO and president of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, during the press conference.

The ongoing federal government shutdown has resulted in federally-funded programs in California to face the possibility that no money will be available after Saturday, when current funding for CalFresh benefits will run out. The Center Square previously reported that not only will millions lose their access to food benefits, but families of young children might lose access to free child care in Head Start programs if the federal government doesn’t reopen.

The shutdown is caused by a failure of congressional leaders to pass a continuing resolution to fund federal government services and programs, The Center Square has reported. Democratic senators refused this week to vote to pass that resolution until Republicans agree to extend the Obamacare Premium Tax Credit, which is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31.

“We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats,” wrote a USDA spokesperson in an email to The Center Square. “Continue to hold out for the Far-Left wing of the party or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive timely WIC and SNAP allotments.”

California legislators who can speak to the importance of CalFresh benefits were not available by press time Thursday.

Also on Thursday, Denver officials announced the launch of a task force to inform citizens in the Colorado city about SNAP. Mayor Mike Johnston said 100,000 residents are at risk of losing their benefits during the federal shutdown.