San Luis Obispo County is about to lose out on $5.7 million in CalFresh benefits because of the federal government shutdown that the Trump administration is blaming on Democrat lawmakers.
“Due to Congressional Democrats’ refusal to pass a clean continuing resolution, approximately 42 million individuals will not receive their SNAP benefits come Nov. 1,” an Oct. 24 U.S. Department of Agriculture memo said. “This jeopardizes all SNAP recipients in November, including those that have applied for benefits in the last half of October, and furloughed federal employees who will not receive their combined October/November benefits.”
Food stamps or SNAP—the national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known in California as CalFresh—served nearly 29,000 people with low incomes and those battling food insecurity in SLO County as of September.
CalFresh benefits don’t pass through the state or county but are transmitted directly from the federal government to Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) vendors like major grocery stores, convenience stores, and select farmers’ markets and online retailers like Amazon. People enrolled with CalFresh can use EBT cards like a debit card to buy eligible food and other approved items from these authorized vendors.
According to SLO County Department of Social Services Division Manager Jenny Hart, it’s expected that the federal government will issue delayed CalFresh benefits onto EBT cards once the shutdown is over. But that date remains uncertain.
“There has not been an instance when CalFresh benefits were delayed due to a federal government shutdown,” Hart said via email. “However, during the federal government shutdown in 2018-19, benefits for February 2019 were issued early, in January, to ensure recipients received them despite the lapse in funding. This early issuance caused confusion and hardship for many households, as they had to stretch those benefits over a longer period.”
CalFresh and CalWORKs recipients can check their EBT balance using the ebtEDGE mobile app or by calling the number on the back of their EBT card.
Hart added that although November benefits are delayed by the shutdown, people should still submit applications for CalFresh, and that the county will process all applications.
From January through September, CalFresh received a monthly average of 1,889 applications from SLO County residents.
The county also directed people to the United Way of SLO County’s 211 help line to connect with food resources. Residents can also text their ZIP code to 898-211 or visit 211slo.org. Another option is to use the SLO Food Bank’s Food Resources Map at findfoodslo.org or by calling (805) 238-4664.
SLO Food Bank CEO Molly Kern told New Times that calls started coming in on Oct. 23 as more people became aware of the anticipated CalFresh benefits delay.
“This biggest challenge is that people don’t know; no one knows at this point how long this will go on,” Kern said. “We know that of those 30,000 people who are impacted, about 12,000 of them don’t regularly come to the food bank. … We really want to help build confidence that when you come to the food bank, there are friendly, smiling people; we have wonderful fresh food that you can access; and you don’t need to fill out a bunch of paperwork in order to be able to get the nutritious food that you need.”
The delay to benefits arrives on top of historic cuts to SNAP through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which slashed 20 percent of the entire program’s budget.
The funding reduction eliminated the SNAP-Ed obesity prevention program, which once connected families to nutrition resources and services, and took away CalFresh food assistance for many lawfully present immigrants like asylees, refugees, parolees, and trafficking victims.
On Oct. 28, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that California and 20 other states are suing the Trump administration over its refusal to fund SNAP benefits because of the federal government shutdown.
He alleged that the administration possesses the funds to support SNAP in November, and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is selectively choosing which programs to keep open during the shutdown.
“The federal government is legally required to make payments to SNAP,” a statement from Newsom’s office said. “Congress appropriated $6 billion to the USDA in SNAP-related contingency funds through September 2026 to continue funding SNAP benefits in instances like the current government shutdown. Instead of helping, the Trump administration chose to suspend November SNAP benefits despite contingency funding in place to help feed American families.” ∆
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 9 2025.
This is irresponsible reporting to only provide a very partisan paragraph about this shutdown being about Democrats ““Due to Congressional Democrats’ refusal to pass a clean continuing resolution…” It is highly known that the Trump administration deleted language yesterday from the SNAP program – which is supposed to go uninterrupted even during a shutdown. The money is there – it is OUR tax dollars invested, and they are choosing to let children to go hungry, in the interest of ONE man, not the constituents. Republicans control the White House, and Congress. This is gaslighting. DO BETTER