Trump administration suspends shipments of food bank aid headed for California

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has stopped 330 truckloads bound for food banks across California, according to the California Association of Food Banks.

The shipments, some of a reported tens of thousands suspended nationwide, were expected within the next few months, said Monica White, president and CEO of Food Share, an Oxnard-based nonprofit.

As of last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture changed the status of the roughly 176,000 pounds of food for the Ventura County food bank, she said.

“They have not canceled it, but it’s been put on hold,” White told the Ventura County Star on Tuesday.

Last week, the federal government suspended the delivery of roughly seven truckloads of eggs, dairy, and meat headed to Ventura County’s regional food bank, the Star reported.

The shipments to Food Share included milk, pork chops, cheese, eggs, and chicken — food not only in high demand and expensive but “absolute necessities” for families, White said.

Here’s what to know about the suspension of deliveries to food banks in California.

What is California doing about the food bank cutbacks?

California Department of Finance spokesperson H.D. Palmer told CalMatters it’s still too early to determine whether California can afford to make up the federal spending being cut.

Already, the California Association of Food Banks is urging lawmakers not to reduce the state food assistance dollars, but they’ll be jockeying for attention amid a myriad of real and potential federal cuts in everything from higher education to rural road repairs, refugee resettlement services and the massive low-income health program Medicaid, CalMatters reported.

“These are Sophie’s choices,” Assemblymember Gregg Hart, a Santa Barbara Democrat who chairs a budget subcommittee that’s evaluating potential federal funding shortfalls told CalMatters. “Every single thing that we could talk about has a federal funding connection that’s in jeopardy and the state just doesn’t have the money to backfill it.”

How much of California food bank funding could be cut?

California food banks have gotten more than $80 million through the program since 2022, with some grants expected to last through mid-2026. They were expecting another $47 million in the program’s next round, before that was cut on March 7, said state Department of Social Services spokesperson Jason Montiel. 

In all, Ventura County’s Food Share receives around 25%, or 5 million pounds, of its food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It also receives $838,000, or 10% of its total budget, from the federal agency, she said.

“It’s still very up in the air exactly how we’re going to be affected,” White said.  

The funding and food comes via a variety of programs. Some face possible steep cuts, including emergency food programs funded by the decades-old federal Commodity Credit Corporation.

A USDA spokesperson answered questions, saying the Biden Administration created “unsustainable programming and expectations” using the Commodity Credit Corporation.

The seven local shipments placed on hold were part of those programs. White estimated their replacement cost at $350,000.

Federal officials also have suspended an emergency food and shelter program, which typically provides Food Share $50,000 or a truckload of food each year, she said.

Will less food be available for California residents?

The halting of these deliveries, first reported by POLITICO, comes after the Agriculture Department separately axed two other food programs, ending more than $1 billion in planned federal spending for schools and food banks to purchase from local farmers.

In Ventura County, Food Share relies on various funding streams and programs, from private donations and grants to government funds. Annually, the organization purchases about 20% or $2 million worth of the food that it distributes.

That money is used to pay for regularly needed items, from peanut butter to beans, and special programs for students, farmworkers, and others, White said. Officials could try to raise more funds through grants or donations to cover potential cuts, she said.

She and others are monitoring the situation closely and looking for ways to fill any gaps but have not rung the alarm bell yet. For now, funding is at risk but not necessarily canceled, White said.

“We may need to juggle,” she said. “But we will be here for anybody who needs food.”