The U.S. Department of War may close Santa Clara County’s only place for military service members and their families to buy food and household items at reduced prices.
The commissary at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View has long served as a grocery lifeline for military families in the Bay Area. But Congressman Sam Liccardo is ringing alarm bells about reports the federal government may cease the facility’s operations in 2026 — leaving the next closest commissary 75 miles away. The San Jose lawmaker voiced his concerns in a Thursday letter to John Hall, director of the Defense Commissary Agency headquartered in Fort Lee, Virginia.
Liccardo said losing the commissary would be a hardship to service members and veterans who made immense sacrifices for the country. He added the least the government can do is provide them access to affordable, basic necessities.
“At a time of soaring food costs, we must protect this essential benefit and work together to preserve or replace this vital facility,” Liccardo told San José Spotlight.
Liccardo’s office said there are a total of 55,000 veterans between San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
Supervisor Otto Lee, a U.S. Navy veteran, called himself a “frequent patron” of the commissary.
“The commissary has not only provided financial relief, but also has served as a cornerstone of community and support for those who have served our nation,” Lee told San José Spotlight. “This potential closure will force military families to travel long distances or pay higher prices elsewhere, adding unnecessary hardship to those already living on fixed or limited incomes.”
The decision apparently comes from the national Department of War, a revived U.S. cabinet branch under President Donald Trump. A spokesperson for the Defense Commissary Agency deferred comment to the Department of War after questions from this news organization. The Department of War did not respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this year, the Department of War moved to privatize commissaries by studying ways to outsource the military grocery stores to for-profit grocers and investment firms.
Santa Clara County officials, who run their own Office of Veteran Services, weren’t immediately available for comment. The Veterans Affairs office in Palo Alto didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Mountain View Mayor Ellen Kamei said the commissary doesn’t just serve troops and veterans, but reservists as well.
“With all the different changes happening in the federal government, being able to shop at a commissary really helps those members,” Kamei told San José Spotlight.
Kamei said the city is considering its options for stepping in to the fill gaps through its community services agency and nonprofit partners such as Hope’s Corner, which provides free hot breakfast and bag lunches every Monday and Wednesday from 8-9 a.m. and Saturday from 8-10 a.m.
The issue has prompted one local military family member, Heather McLaughlin, to start a petition to save the commissary.
The NASA Ames Research Center owns the building that houses the commissary. Liccardo’s letter urges Hall to reverse the decision. He also called on Hall to assess the economic impact on the thousands of Bay Area military families and retirees who depend on commissary savings.
“I urge the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) to work with NASA Ames Research Center to develop a plan that preserves or replaces this critical facility and ensures continued access for the Bay Area’s military community,” Liccardo said.
It comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to deploy National Guard troops to support food banks next month amid anticipated delays to federal food assistance during a protracted government shutdown.
“Our service members and veterans have sacrificed their lives to protect our ability to live in freedom and with security,” Liccardo wrote in his letter to Hall. “Closing the commissary at Moffett Federal Airfield diminishes support available to our Bay Area military community, creating a preventable food desert for those who need it most.”
Story updated Oct. 23 at 4:04 p.m. Original story published Oct. 23 at 2 p.m.
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.
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