Over 5.5 million Californians depend on CalFresh — California’s name for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — to put food on the table every month. CalFresh provides modest monthly food assistance and, as one of the few means-tested programs that reaches almost all low-income people, is the state’s most important anti-hunger tool.
In 2023, CalFresh was the most effective safety net program in boosting family resources, according to recent data. Over 850,000 more Californians would have been in poverty without CalFresh providing food assistance, which corresponds to a 2.3 percentage point increase in the poverty rate. Children across the state experienced an even larger reduction in poverty of nearly 4 percentage points as a result of CalFresh.
The latest data continue to show that poverty — and hunger — are policy choices. Recent federal inaction by the US Department of Agriculture to fund November 2025 SNAP benefits defies long-standing practice and threatens to increase hunger for millions of families. Policymakers have the tools to ensure that no one goes hungry in the world’s fourth largest economy. Even brief periods of hunger can have devastating effects on people, particularly children, which is why policymakers should boost investments to strengthen CalFresh and help all Californians meet their most basic needs.
H.R. 1 and the Federal Budget
H.R. 1, the harmful Republican mega bill passed in July 2025, will deeply harm Californians by cutting funding for essential programs like health care, food assistance, and education.
See how California leaders can respond and protect vital supports.
