If you’ve stood in a checkout line lately, you know grocery prices are already hard to stomach.

Now imagine losing the one thing that helps you get by.

That’s what’s happening under President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” It just became law and it’s poised to slash CalFresh, the food assistance program formerly known as food stamps.

This isn’t some fringe program. It’s 17 million meals a year in San Diego County. And the people affected aren’t strangers — they’re standing next to you in line.

What Is SNAP?

SNAP — known as CalFresh here — feeds more than 400,000 people in the San Diego region. This includes 130,000 children and 99,000 seniors in San Diego County alone.

Folks apply through the County’s Self-Sufficiency Services team and receive an EBT card, just like a debit card, to purchase food. 

Families use it to buy healthy food, avoid hunger, and focus on school or work instead of their next meal. Without access to CalFresh, hundreds of thousands of our neighbors won't be able to afford groceries. 

It’s the largest nutrition safety net in the country — and it works. 

But SNAP is Getting Slashed

Trump’s law doesn’t just cut SNAP/CalFresh — it makes it harder to access, even for those who qualify. It turns the program into a twisted game of musical chairs: there’s less to go around, and even those who grab a spot could be pushed out at any moment. 

The Big Beautiful Bill:

• Slashes $300 billion from SNAP nationwide

• Shifts more costs to us here locally — estimates currently say it could be up to $276 million less for the County of San Diego, forcing us to do more with less

• Increases administrative costs and delays — forcing people to navigate red tape just to keep the benefits they already rely on

• Adds new work requirements that kick people off the program, even if they qualify

In other states, these kinds of rules have led to thousands being dropped not because they’re ineligible, but because of burdensome red tape. 

This Affects All of Us

Even if you don’t use this program, you’ll see and feel the impacts:

• More homelessness as people are forced to choose between paying rent or putting food in their bellies 

• More pressure on local food banks and emergency rooms

• Hungry kids struggling in school — and later in life

• Families with no options are more likely to end up in crisis, falling through the safety net and ultimately costing taxpayers a lot more in the long run 

What We’re Doing — and How You Can Help

At the County level, we’re working hard to blunt the worst impacts, but we can’t do it alone.

Here’s how you can help right now:

• 🥫 Support local food banks — like Feeding San Diego, bracing for a surge in need.

• 🗣️ Share your CalFresh story. Personal stories can shift policy. Submit yours here.

• ❓ Ask your Supervisor what they’re doing to fight hunger. Every district will be affected. Find your Supervisor here.

• 🗳️ Stay tuned. If Washington won’t protect us, San Diego may need to act with a local vote.
  
  

We didn’t ask for this crisis. But together, we can decide how we respond. 

We’re all standing in the grocery line together, so let’s keep fighting to help our coworkers, neighbors, and loved ones from going hungry.