Sen. Adam Schiff toured the Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank warehouse Wednesday to emphasize the “painful” consequences of the recently signed budget bill.
The California Democrat emphasized the pressure that food banks may be under with “dramatic” cuts to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and other food aid.
“Our families are going to be impacted, and seeing is believing,” Schiff said after a 45-minute tour in Miramar led by food bank CEO Casey Castillo. “When you see a box that used to be full to the brim with food, and realize that with cuts to grant programs that box now is significantly less occupied by food, that means less food for families and more hunger out there.”
Saying that local farmers also will be impacted, Schiff said he learned that San Diego County has more small farmers than in any other county in the nation.
Castillo said, “So we’re worried about cuts that are being made to our recipients, but we’re also seeing cuts to that are going directly to food banks.” In March, the food bank was notified by the government that their emergency food assistance program — 2 million pounds of food — was going to be canceled for April, May, June and July.
“That’s 26 truckloads,” Castillo said. “This is nutrient-rich, high-protein items. So that 2 million pounds translates to about 1 1/2 half (million) meals. The other cuts are to the LFPA (The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program) to strengthen the local food system. That program will end in October. That’s about 933 produce boxes each week,” the CEO said.
Bagging food. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego) 
Schiff and Castillo. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego) 
Warehouse tour. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego) 
Recycling area. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego) 
Schiff bags food. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego) 
Castillo and Schiff. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)
Last year, the food bank distributed over half a million pounds of food through that program,” Castillo said. “So we’re talking millions of pounds that have already been cut.”
If food bank demands increase substantially, “We’re going to have to devise strategies to make our dollar go further,” Castillo said. “We’re going to have to utilize reserves and also ask the community to help.”
Schiff praised the efforts at the food bank.
“I would just say to the amazing staff at the San Diego Food Bank and all the incredible volunteers: What an amazing job they’re doing, how grateful I am personally.”
On another topic, Schiff was asked what he would like to see happen to the money accumulating from tariffs embraced by the Trump administration.
“Well, I’d like to see frankly all of the cuts to food restored, and I think the president was asked, what is he going to do with the money that’s coming from these tariffs and his answer was ‘anything I want.’”
“That’s really not a good answer for the American people. I don’t want to see that money going to build a $200 million golden ballroom at the White House, not when people are going hungry. So we really have no idea what the president’s going to do with that,” Schiff said.
“The general treasury is not for the president to decide I’m going to spend this willy-nilly. Congress has the power of the purse in our Constitution. Congress was given the power to appropriate funds, but we have seen a lot of illegal impoundment.”
“So we’re seeing rescission of funds. And we challenged it in court and they lose in court, but in the meantime, people are going hungry,” he said.
