If the federal government shutdown continues, more than 66,000 Alaskans will lose federal food aid within weeks, the state of Alaska is warning.
That could include more than 100 households in Wrangell.
On Oct. 20, the Division of Public Assistance within the Alaska Department of Health said that the federal government “has directed states to stop the issuance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the month of November due to insufficient federal funds. This means that Alaskans may not receive SNAP benefits for November, even if they are authorized to receive them.”
The division estimates that 66,471 Alaskans would be eligible for benefits under the program.
In its written statement, the division said that it tried to pay for the program with state money “and determined that a state subsidy was not mechanically possible under the federal payment system.”
Though the federal government has found a way to pay salaries for military personnel and other parts of government during the month-long shutdown, the Trump administration has not announced any plan to continue paying SNAP benefits while the president and Congress are unable to reach a deal on a budget plan.
Similar warning messages went out from other states across the country starting Oct. 17. In Kentucky, where one in eight residents receives food aid, Gov. Andy Beshear said the pending cut makes this “a scary and stressful time.”
In Oklahoma, more than half a million residents receive food stamps and are expected to lose that help.
Altogether across the country, more than 42 million Americans rely on the food stamp program, which the federal government funds and individual states administer.
In Wrangell, 107 households received food stamp benefits in September, according to the Department of Health. That is up from 78 in May but down substantially from 147 households in May 2024.
The Alaska Beacon is an independent, donor-funded news organization. Alaskabeacon.com.
