Montana public health agency warns of impending end to federal food assistance

Montanans who use SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, may not receive the benefit in November.
A message to SNAP clients on the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services website said the following on Tuesday:
“As a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service has directed states to stop the issuance of SNAP benefits for the month of November until further notice.”
It said SNAP clients may not receive the benefits even if they are already authorized to receive them, and they should check the webpage for updates “from the federal government.”
In September, 77,679 Montanans were SNAP recipients, according to the DPHHS public benefits dashboard. DPHHS said the average monthly benefit is $332 per household.
It’s about $173 for each household member per month, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
A fact sheet from the Center said in Montana, more than 63% of participants are families with children; more than 38% are in families with members who are older adults or disabled; and more than 43% are in working families.
Western Native Voice announced the status of SNAP in a newsletter on Tuesday afternoon.
“According to the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services (DPHHS), SNAP benefits for November cannot be issued at this time, as they are contingent on new federal appropriations,” the newsletter said.
It also provided an update on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, for November in Montana.
“For WIC benefits, Montana has advised that the program remains active through November 30 using carry-over funds, but future continuity will depend on federal guidance,” the newsletter said, citing the state health department.
It said the situation is the result of the ongoing federal government shutdown, “which is causing delays or interruptions in funding for programs that rely on annual congressional appropriations.”
The newsletter encouraged SNAP recipients to plan ahead, check benefit card balances, and explore alternative resources “in case there are changes.”
In a phone call Tuesday, Western Native Voice‘s government relations director Keaton Sunchild said SNAP benefits have been used as a negotiating tactic by the White House and by Senate leadership over the last week.
Western Native Voice is a Montana-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering Native communities and addressing issues that impact Indigenous people. Sunchild is based in Washington, D.C.
“They’re trying to target what they view as more liberal social programs to try to ratchet up pressure, as messed up as that seems,” said Sunchild.
In the U.S. Senate, Republicans and Democrats are at a stalemate when it comes to funding and reopening the government, and the House is out of session, kept in recess by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson.
Sunchild said at first, it wasn’t clear if the threat to withhold money for SNAP was empty, but he learned this week federal officials were informing the state health department none of the federal money for SNAP would be released.
A spokesperson for DPHHS did not comment Tuesday on the situation as Sunchild described.
However, the spokesperson said the website post about SNAP was made Friday, Oct. 17, and a mailing to recipients started Monday to 35,650 households.
Sunchild said it briefly appeared the White House might release some tariff revenue to cover some of the missing SNAP funds, but that doesn’t look like it’s the case. So he said the money will run out on Oct. 31.
“Food insecurity is such a huge issue across all of Montana,” Sunchild said.
He said that’s the case especially in rural communities, and it isn’t talked about often enough.
“And now, literally people are going to have to choose between living expenses and food because of a big political game, basically,” Sunchild said.
In response to whether Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte was trying to help, spokesperson Kaitlin Price said the governor is pushing for a fix to the shutdown.
“The governor has advocated to continue support for vulnerable Montana families by urging Washington Democrats to do their job and work with Republicans to pass a clean, short-term continuing resolution to fund the government,” Price said in an email.
She did not immediately respond to follow-up about whether the state had practical solutions in the works as well or whether the governor had advocated for the Trump administration to release available contingency funds.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture “Lapse of Funding Plan,” cited in a CBS report, said contingency funds are available for SNAP benefits in the event of a shutdown, and some federal employees should be exempted from furloughs to support program operations.
Amy Allison, head of the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center, said she was in a meeting Tuesday talking about how to prepare for the possibility that SNAP would not be authorized in November.
She said last month, 2,969 people who shopped at the food bank indicated that they receive SNAP benefits, and in the county, 7,936 people receive SNAP benefits.
Allison said that means 4,900 more people might need help if they don’t receive the benefit. Shoppers at the food bank don’t pay for groceries.
“We are incredibly concerned that numbers will increase, and we’ll see a lot of folks needing additional support if they are not receiving those SNAP benefits,” Allison said.
Jessy Lee, development director for the Missoula food bank, said the organization is committed to making sure anyone who needs food access has it.
She said the nonprofit will make sure that it has enough food for anyone who walks through its doors.
“We’re making some purchasing contingency plans that will ensure that we have enough food for a potential influx of customers,” Lee said.