CalFresh is California’s state version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides modest monthly assistance to Californians with low incomes to purchase food, but the program has been significantly eroded by federal leaders.
In addition to the devastating funding cuts to food assistance and health care enacted by the 2025 Republican megabill, H.R. 1, the bill also imposes ineffective time limits on previously exempt groups receiving SNAP. Starting in June 2026, parents with a youngest child over 13, older adults, veterans, former foster youth, and people experiencing homelessness will all be subject to time limits that only allow three months of assistance over three years unless they are working 20 hours per week or qualify for an exemption.
SNAP time limits are grossly misaligned with the lived experience of those who are temporarily unemployed. Unemployment spells generally last six months — twice as long as the three-month time limit. As a result, many participants who already face significant barriers to work could lose their benefits even if they are actively looking for work.
State leaders should do everything they can to ensure that those who lose benefits due to ineffective time limits are still able to receive food assistance. Without the implementation of necessary protections, more Californians — many of whom already face systematic exclusion from economic security — could face further hardship.
