Without CalFresh, more than 800,000 Californians would be living in poverty--half of them being children. This is because CalFresh enables people to spend money on food they would not have afforded otherwise. In this way, supporting healthier diets while also reducing the stress of having to make tough financial decisions, like choosing between buying food or medication.

For children, the benefits of growing up in a home with consistent access to food and less financial stress are far-reaching and long-lasting. A study of early participants in the Food Stamp Program found that children who had Food Stamps growing up reported   better health in adulthood and had lower rates of obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. Women who had access to Food Stamps as young children reported  improved economic stability  in adulthood; i.e., were more likely to graduate high school, be employed and have higher earnings, and less likely to participate in public benefit programs.

Disenrollment from CalFresh, Medi-Cal, and housing assistance programs would harm the health and security of our state. The Department of Homeland Security even acknowledges in the   text of the proposed rule  that, if enacted, consequences would include increased incidence of poor health, poverty, and reduced educational attainment. Making it even clearer that this administration regards the degradation of public health and well-being an acceptable trade off for its political gains.

Using fear to discourage use of programs that improve people's lives is a cruel policy with dangerous consequences. We must fight back.