County hears federal legislative update as federal shutdown risk rises; USDA household food security survey to end

A CJ Lake representative told the Alameda County Board of Supervisors’ Personnel Administration and Legislation Committee on Sept. 22 that federal budget negotiations left the government at risk of a shutdown on Oct. 1 unless the Senate reaches a 60‑vote agreement.

The presenter said the U.S. House passed a short‑term continuing resolution on a 217–212 vote to fund federal operations through Nov. 21 but that the House measure had not cleared the Senate. "Short of that, we will have a shutdown starting October 1," the presenter said.

The update summarized recent floor activity in both chambers, including Senate votes on a House CR and a Democratic alternative, and noted that leadership discussions between House and Senate leaders were ongoing. The presenter also flagged the National Defense Authorization Act as active on the floor and said agencies had not yet issued operational guidance for a shutdown.

Separately, the presenter said the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it is terminating its long‑running annual household food security survey. "The last report will be released in October, and we'll cover 2024 data," the presenter said, adding that the loss of the survey will be "of big concern" because the report provides annual data used to shape policy on food insecurity and hunger.

Supervisor questions focused on what funding would continue in the event of a shutdown. The presenter replied that mandatory funding streams generally continue but programs funded through annual appropriations could stop absent a congressional agreement or a Senate vote that produces the necessary threshold to keep them funded and staffed. The presenter said county departments and the county’s lobbyists should coordinate to identify services that might be affected.

The committee received no public comment on the federal update. The chair moved on to a state legislative briefing later in the meeting.