‘Big Beautiful Bill’: How will this policy impact CPH and the community?
At Cal Poly Humboldt, students who depend on food programs such as OhSNAP! and CalFresh may soon feel the effects of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, a federal proposal that aims to cut spending on social welfare programs, including nutrition assistance.
On July 4, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was signed into law, resulting in changes to federal student aid programs. Some of these changes went into effect immediately, while others will go into effect next year and beyond.
OhSNAP! is Cal Poly Humboldt’s student food program and basic needs resource center. The name stands for “Students for Nutrition and Access to Produce”. The program offers a free food pantry, stocking non-perishable items and fresh produce. This includes weekly produce pop-ups featuring locally grown goods and support for applying to CalFresh food benefits, located in Room 122 of the Recreation and Wellness building on campus.
“Cal Poly Humboldt’s OhSNAP! saw 42% percent of the student population last year, which was nearly 30,000 visits. At Cal Poly Humboldt, we know that access to healthy food is essential for student success,” said Iridian Casarez, communications specialist for Marketing and Communications. “We remain committed to advocating for resources that help students meet their basic needs so they can focus on their education.”
Currently, the university does not have an estimate of how much these food programs will be financially impacted, as things are still developing.
The CalFresh Program is California’s version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), providing food assistance to low income California residents. On Oct. 1, $250,000 of federal funds were eliminated from Humboldt County Public Health’s CalFresh Healthy Living budget, according to a statement on their website. These funds are used to improve the health and nutrition of children, students and vulnerable members of the community. Statewide, approximately 5.5 million residents are expected to lose benefits effective Nov. 1, 2025.
The Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services’ Public Health Branch (DHHS) funding loss comes as a result of the passing of the bill. SNAP and CalFresh funding has been used locally to pay for nutrition accessibility at both CPH and local K-12 schools.
With students being impacted, social work major, Caroline Garza, voiced her disappointment in what the country thinks is important.
“I don’t think we should deduct any money from Calfresh and SNAP because families rely on those funds,” Garza said. “Often when you can’t afford food you are left to get food that isn’t very good for you.”
The OBBBA will cut federal funding to SNAP programs by $186 billion over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
