Oliver Alcazar, an unemployed construction worker training for a desk job after injuring his foot, felt relieved when his federal SNAP food benefit was restored Sunday with $258 for his family of three for November.

Despite this relief, on Monday, Alcazar joined hundreds of others lining up at the San Jose Flea Market, where the nonprofit Hunger at Home was distributing packages of apples, pears, zucchini, bread, and chicken. Many fear that the federal aid program remains in jeopardy amid the ongoing congressional funding stalemate that has triggered the country’s longest government shutdown.

“It’s a little bit scary to the family, because we don’t know whether everyone’s dietary needs are going to be met,” Alcazar said.

Though there has been some movement toward a possible deal to break the congressional impasse, full restoration of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other federal operations affected by the funding lapse remains uncertain—an unsettling situation for those who depend on them.

SNAP funding was restored on Friday amid a whirlwind of court rulings and federal and state actions.

“We anticipated having fewer people due to the fact that the SNAP program was reloaded,” said Ewell Sterner, CEO of Hunger at Home. “However, we’re seeing a larger line than we had last week. I think it’s the anxiety, the unknown, being weeks without the benefits, so getting caught up.”

Last week saw a rapid-fire sequence of events over SNAP, known as CalFresh in California and informally as food stamps. After the shutdown began on October 1, the Republican administration of President Donald Trump warned that SNAP benefits for November would not be paid unless Democrats agreed to continue government funding and end the partial shutdown.

On Thursday, a district judge in Rhode Island ordered the administration to fully fund SNAP during the government shutdown. Shortly after, California officials released food assistance to the 5.5 million residents who rely on the program.

However, federal officials then ordered states to “undo” the welfare spending, calling it “unauthorized” following yet another court decision.

SNAP was not the only federal program affected by the funding lapse.

A potential end to the 40-day government shutdown appeared in sight as a small group of moderate Democrats moved last weekend to break from party leadership and support plans to fund the government without including extended health care subsidies—the very reason Democrats had withheld their votes.

If and when the shutdown ends, CalFresh benefits would resume reliably.

Still, that possibility provided little comfort in the Bay Area on Monday.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, filed a legal challenge against the Trump administration’s attempt to “claw back” the food assistance spending, as he described it.

Meanwhile, officials in Contra Costa County paused plans to send out $21 million on debit cards to CalFresh recipients who had missed their benefits this month.

Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Andersen told this news organization Monday that CalFresh recipients in the county had received their November benefits. The $21 million will remain allocated for food assistance should the need arise, Andersen said.

She noted that the shutdown could drag into December, or the assistance could vanish from residents’ EBT cards if the Trump administration pursues reclaiming it.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Andersen said. “There is a lot of unknown.”

California’s Democratic members of Congress have strongly criticized the Trump administration for refusing to fund SNAP during the government shutdown. But many expressed frustration over the weekend when news emerged that a group of moderate Senate Democrats planned to break with party leadership to support a funding plan that includes food assistance but does not guarantee extended Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies—the central issue at the heart of the shutdown.

California Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla condemned the funding proposal on social media and said they would oppose it, as did Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

Despite this, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of Silicon Valley called for Schumer’s ouster on X (formerly Twitter). Khanna, an ambitious lawmaker aligned with the party’s progressive wing, advocates for a “new generation of leadership” within the Democratic Party.

“Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced,” he said on the social media platform. “If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?”

Democratic Representative Sam Liccardo, representing Silicon Valley and the Peninsula, co-introduced a bill last week to extend health subsidies in a pared-down form. He partnered with Republican Representative Kevin Kiley from Eastern California.

It remains unclear whether their plan will gain traction in the House. On Monday, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not promise to hold a vote on the subsidies as part of any deal to reopen the government, according to ABC News.

At the San Jose Flea Market, Hunger at Home served approximately 300 families by Monday morning, double the normal number. By 10 a.m., when the line usually ends, another 120 cars were still waiting.

In the parking lot, Alexandrea Musquiz shared that she received her $87 CalFresh payment on Friday—an amount she said “doesn’t go far.” As she waited in line at the food bank, she also worried Congress might not fully restore benefits.

“I’m hoping, I’m praying, that they do,” Musquiz, 37, said. “But, I mean, I don’t know. We don’t know anything that’s going to happen in the near future, so all we can do is just cross our fingers and just hope.”
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/10/uncertainty-looms-in-bay-area-amid-possible-end-to-government-shutdown/