Senate subcommittee told federal funding cuts threaten California food-assistance programs

At a hearing of the California State Senate Budget Subcommittee 3, officials from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) told legislators that recent federal decisions and the ending of several USDA funding streams are reducing resources for statewide food‑assistance programs that reach millions of Californians.

Jennifer Troia, speaking on behalf of the Department of Social Services, said CalFresh (the state name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) remains the state’s largest food and nutrition program but that other affiliated programs have faced abrupt federal changes. "We were awarded a total of $88,000,000 via 2 grama, LFPA and LFPA plus that were anticipated to be available through June of 2026," Troia said, and later added that a planned third round of LFPA funding (LFPA '25) was terminated on March 7, 2025, canceling approximately $47,300,000 the department expected to receive.

Why this matters: the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) and related grants enabled California to buy locally produced food for food banks, supporting socially disadvantaged farmers and local distributors. CDSS told the committee those grants had been fully…