Thousands of Indigenous people across the Mountain West are among those who will lose SNAP food benefits if the government shutdown continues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said SNAP will run out of money on Nov. 1.
Tribal officials are concerned about cuts to programs that were already stretched thin. Nearly a quarter of Indigenous households use SNAP benefits, double the national rate.
Julie Keller leads food services at Nimíipuu Health on the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho.
“Feeding families is very expensive, and people are struggling to make ends meet,” she said. “And these programs help people provide basic nutrition for their whole family.”
Keller said more tribal members have been signing up to receive food benefits out of fear that they may soon be canceled.
“Now people are so worried about their SNAP benefits being gone that people are keeping their appointments, and we have more people wanting to sign up,” she said.
Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado have issued warnings for SNAP recipients. Some states, like Colorado, are providing emergency funding for alternate food sources. Meanwhile, a group of Democratic leaders in several states, including Nevada and Colorado, are suing the federal government over the suspension of benefits.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
