Federal Rules In June To Put Over 600,000 People at Risk of Losing CalFresh

• Nicholas Chan
• Communications Director, Office of Assemblymember Alex Lee
• (916) 319-2392
• [email protected]

Federal rules taking effect in June will strip away food benefits from hundreds of thousands of people. By expanding time-limit work rules for recipients of CalFresh, federally known as SNAP, the Republican budget bill H.R. 1 will put an estimated 665,500 people statewide at risk of losing food assistance. Over 1 in 5 Californians already struggle with food insecurity, and H.R. 1's sweeping cuts will exacerbate the state's ongoing hunger crisis.

"The Republican federal government's cruel and punitive policies will force the poorest Californians into even deeper poverty," said Assemblymember Alex Lee, Chair of the Human Services Committee. "The work requirements are red tape traps that will cut off vital food aid from low-income Californians. This is yet another federal policy to starve our families. Amid the federal regime's direct assault on safety net programs, we must step up to mitigate H.R. 1's devastating impacts and ensure people's access to food."

H.R. 1 significantly expands the population of Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) who are subject to work requirements, and eliminates California's state-wide exemption from implementing those requirements. It changes the definition of ABAWD to include people between the ages of 18-64 (up from 18-54) who are able to work and do not have children under the age of 14 (down from 18). They must prove that they are working, volunteering, or enrolled in school/job training for at least 20 hours weekly. People who are unable to comply will be limited to just 3 months of CalFresh benefits over a 3-year period. Even those who meet the work requirements could be at risk of losing their benefits due to onerous administrative hurdles.

The time-limit work rules will hit parents, older adults, and low-wage workers the hardest. Seasonal farmworkers, home health aides, gig workers, and retail employees often work inconsistent schedules and lack control over their hours. Parents holding down a job must navigate shifting work schedules to accommodate their children. Seniors who depend on food aid may soon find themselves without a lifeline to afford groceries. In addition, H.R. 1 eliminates work requirement exemptions for veterans, unhoused individuals, and former foster youth.

The expanded work requirements are part of a series of federal policies to deny people's access to food assistance. In April, H.R. 1 began restricting CalFresh eligibility from humanitarian immigrants, including asylees, refugees, parolees, and trafficking victims. Moving forward, the Republican budget bill will force the state and counties to shoulder additional costs for CalFresh.

In the wake of drastic federal cuts, Assemblymember Lee is doubling down on his work to tackle hunger. The Assemblymember has secured $46 million in the last two years to revive a CalFresh program that provides extra food benefits to families. This year, he is requesting $100 million to expand the successful initiative known as the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Program. He has also coauthored legislation that seeks to exempt former foster youth from the expanded work requirements.

Meanwhile, the state has deployed $20 million to support local counties in preparing for the expanded work requirements. The 2025-2026 budget allocated $80 million for CalFood, which enables food banks to purchase California-grown food. By expanding the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP), the state will provide food benefits to noncitizens aged 55 or older regardless of their immigration status. Assemblymember Lee has also coauthored legislation to extend CFAP to those who lose CalFresh eligibility due to their humanitarian immigration status or the expanded work requirements.

Advocates and Bay Area food banks released the following statements regarding H.R. 1's expanded work requirements:

"CalFresh, known nationwide as SNAP, is the most effective anti-hunger program, providing nine meals for every meal that food banks distribute," said Ezer Pamintuan, Senior Policy Advocate at Alameda County Community Food Bank. "When thousands of Alameda County residents lose their CalFresh benefits because of the cruel time limit expansion under H.R. 1, not only will food banks be placed under greater strain, but poverty in our community will worsen. State leaders must now step up and protect our neighbors who are most impacted by these cuts."

"Food insecurity is a serious and growing challenge in California. New data from Urban Institute show that in 2025, 24% of all adults in California were food insecure, and among adults living with children, 33% were food insecure," said Stacia Levenfeld, CEO of California Food Banks. "California Food Banks' network of 43 food banks serves 6 million Californians each month, up from 4.5 million people during the height of the pandemic. H.R. 1's unprecedented cuts to CalFresh will put additional strain on hundreds of thousands of households already struggling with rising costs for food, fuel, health care, and housing. This is pushing more families beyond their budgets and increasing demand on emergency food assistance. In the face of these mounting challenges, California's leaders must step up to support the emergency food network and invest in bold solutions to help Californians meet their most basic needs."

"Hunger is not a question of scarcity. It is a question of whether we are willing to build systems that actually support people in real time," said Kameron Mims-Jones, Senior Policy Advocate at Nourish California. "Instead of replicating harmful federal decisions, we must choose to build a California that creates real food stability for individuals, families, and communities."

"In Silicon Valley, hunger is increasingly not an unemployment issue - it's a cost-of-living issue," said Rachel Monaco, Senior Manager of Policy & Advocacy at Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. "Many of our neighbors impacted by these changes are already working and doing everything they can to keep up with rising housing, healthcare and grocery costs. Weakening access to CalFresh at a time when families are already stretched beyond capacity will deepen hardship across our communities and push more people to food banks for emergency support."

See here for the virtual press conference on May 20 hosted by Assemblymember Alex Lee on H.R. 1's expanded work requirements for CalFresh.