Overview
- The Trump administration says SNAP, known as CalFresh in California, will halt payments starting Nov. 1 during the shutdown.
- USDA guidance states contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular monthly benefits during the shutdown.
- Roughly 168,000 residents in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties rely on CalFresh and could miss November assistance.
- Santa Clara County is transferring $4.5 million to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, which serves about 500,000 people monthly and says it cannot replace an estimated $25 million in lost purchasing power.
- Local responses include a $30,000 allocation by the Community Services Agency and a Mountain View Moms drive that raised nearly $13,000, as new federal work requirements also take effect Nov. 1.