California moves to protect CalFresh payments from federal ‘confusion and chaos’

Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday morning announced moves to protect food benefits that California has paid out after the U.S. Department of Agriculture called on states over the weekend to halt and unwind payments.

The filing for a temporary restraining order against the federal government, joined by 23 attorneys general and three governors, comes as the USDA told states to “immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025” during the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history.

“The whiplash the president and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins have given Americans in recent weeks, the steps they’ve taken to prevent vulnerable families from putting food on the table, are unnecessary, unconscionable and unlawful,” Bonta said. “We refuse to stand by and allow it to continue without a fight.”

The shutdown, which started in early October, has led to delayed payments for people on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and has, according to Bonta, sparked “confusion and chaos” that was “concocted by the Trump administration.”

Over 41 million people depend on SNAP, with around 5.5 million on California’s version, known as CalFresh.

Food benefits have been at the center of the clashes between courts, states and the administration. Last week, a federal judge ordered Trump’s administration to make a payment that would fully fund the month of November. The administration has already ignored a previous order to resume some payments and is appealing this most recent decision as well.

The court’s decision prompted states, including California, to reinstate benefits on people’s EBT cards. According to Bonta, “the vast majority” of Californians on CalFresh “have received full funding” — payments that the USDA is now attempting to claw back.

According to the USDA on Saturday, “failure to comply with this memorandum may result in USDA taking various actions, including cancellation of the Federal share of State administrative costs and holding States liable for any overissuances that result from the noncompliance.”

The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts is pausing this request, with a hearing on the matter set for later Monday.

“If any of that back and forth left you with whiplash, you are not alone,” Bonta said.

However, he later emphasized, “I want every SNAP beneficiary to know we are fighting for you tooth and nail to make sure that you can be fed. And that there will be no revocation or undoing of the benefits that you have loaded onto your cards.”

An end to the federal government shutdown is in sight. Eight Democratic senators broke rank to join Republicans on Sunday in making a deal to reopen the government.

The shutdown in October was triggered primarily by Democrats trying to secure extended subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which supports lower-income Americans’ access to health care.

The current deal does not guarantee the extended subsidies but is based on an informal agreement that Republicans will vote to extend them in December.

“They got a promise that they would bring up a bill. Well, what’s that? They’re gonna vote for it? Is he gonna sign it? What’s the promise? What’s a promise? Them is fighting words,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday morning.

The eight Democrats have been criticized by fellow party members, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who posted on social media, saying, “Pathetic. This isn’t a deal. It’s a surrender. Don’t bend the knee!”

California’s senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, said they will not be voting for the deal, highlighting their concerns about health care access.

“This does nothing to stop the Republican-made health care crisis. It does nothing to stop premiums from doubling for millions of Americans,” Padilla said, according to the Sacramento Bee.

“I have heard from countless Californians who are at risk of losing their health insurance, and my position has been clear from the beginning: I would not support a government funding bill that did not fund health care tax credits,” Schiff said.

KQED’s Carly Severn and Sara Hossaini contributed to this report.