Congress is considering unprecedented cuts to county administered safety net programs, including nearly $900 billion in cuts to Medicaid, $230 billion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and a 10% cut to the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant. These cuts would decimate the state’s safety net as California draws down a disproportionate share of federal funds; 14% of all TANF block grant funding and 11% of SNAP funding, nationally, supports California’s most vulnerable. Specifically, California receives approximately $112 billion in funding for Medi-Cal (Medicaid) and a combined $23 billion in funding for CalFresh (SNAP), CalWORKs (TANF), the child welfare system, and programs that support vulnerable seniors.

CWDA urges the Legislature to identify budget solutions that preserve funding for the state’s antipoverty programs and protect core services to foster youth, older adults, and individuals and families experiencing poverty.