With food benefit cuts looming in the US, Californians eye billionaire tax
Summary
California faces cuts to its food assistance programs because of new federal laws that reduce funding. To help fill the gap, the state is proposing a one-time tax on billionaires to support food benefits and health insurance. Many people in California rely on food banks and government aid to meet their basic needs amid these changes.Key Facts
- President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), passed in June, will cut Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by more than $186 billion over 10 years.
- These cuts could cause over 3 million people nationwide and around 665,000 in California to lose food benefits.
- California plans a one-time 5% tax on assets of the state’s 200+ billionaires to raise nearly $100 billion, aiming to cover health insurance and food benefit shortfalls.
- About 10% of the money raised from this tax will help replace lost food assistance funding.
- California has over 5.3 million food benefit recipients, the highest number of any state.
- Starting April, 72,000 immigrants in California began losing food benefits; from June, nearly 600,000 people will be tested on work requirements to continue receiving benefits.
- Recipients must work, study, or volunteer, or risk losing benefits if they fail these requirements for three months.
- Many Californians, including single mothers like Greer Dove and injured workers like Gladys Lee, depend on food banks and SNAP to feed their families.
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