Alaskans won’t get food stamps in November unless federal funding is provided
- Mark Sabbatini
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
State says it is "not mechanically possible" to subsidize SNAP benefits for more than 66,000 residents
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
More than 66,000 Alaskans are set to be cut off from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as food stamps, as of Nov. 1 due to insufficient funds resulting from the federal government shutdown, the Alaska Department of Health announced Monday.
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has directed states to stop the issuance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the month of November due to insufficient federal funds," the announcement states.
The state health department’s Division of Public Assistance has determined it is not "mechanically possible" to use state funds to continue providing benefits if federal funds are not available, according to Monday’s announcement. Alaskans get more than $20 million a month in federal funds from the program.
States can provide the money to continue benefits to SNAP recipients, but shouldn’t be expected to be reimbursed, Peter Hadler, deputy commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Social Services, told The Hill in an article published Monday. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and other state politicians have repeatedly declared the state’s financial outlook for at least the near-term future has taken a dire turn for the worse since last December.
The SNAP program provides food assistance to low-income households. The health department estimates the cutoff will result in 66,471 Alaskans not being issued benefits starting in November until funding is restored.
The federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1 appears to have no end in sight, The New York Times reported Tuesday. President Donald Trump has said he intends to use the shutdown to terminate "Democrat" programs and employees working for them, and Republicans with majorities in both chambers of Congress are largely supportive of the president’s agenda. Democrats are seeking an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire in January as their primary demand for ending the shutdown.
Among Alaska’s all-Republican congressional delegation, Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Nick Begich are echoing the GOP’s leadership position of blaming the shutdown on Democrats (Republicans can end the shutdown on their own, but it would require the politically fraught move of abandoning the 60-vote fillbuster). Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who at times has been at odds with the Trump administration, on Saturday criticized that tactic and called for congressional unity to end the shutdown.
The Trump administration has already provided supplemental funds for a different assistance program — Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children — allocating $300 million in unspent tariff revenue from the past fiscal year, according to the Associated Press. In Alaska that meant a program whose funding would have lapsed on Oct. 11 can continue to operate at least through Nov. 8.
The state health department on Monday indicated it is monitoring further possible federal action on SNAP benefits as well.
"DPA is closely monitoring the situation and anticipates additional direction from the federal government in the coming days," the statement notes.
The SNAP program is federally funded, but administered in Alaska by the Division of Public Assistance.
"DPA will continue to work with SNAP participants and applicants and process applications and renewals so that benefits can be issued as soon as Congress reinstates funding," the statement notes. "In addition, DPA will maintain call center operations and client communication to ensure households can complete interviews, submit documents, and receive updates."
The state has been struggling with an ongoing backlog of thousands of SNAP applicants since 2022 — with about half of applications processed on time as of July 1 — plus the highest error rate for payment benefits by far in the U.S. The backlog has resulted in lawsuits, and the federal government fined Alaska nearly $12 million last year and $4.6 million this year for the error rates.
Earlier this year the Trump administration demanded additional personal information of SNAP recipients — including Social Security numbers, citizenship status and information about people living in a recipient’s household — be turned over as part of a broader data collection effort apparently targeting migrants. Alaska was among at least 27 states providing such data.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
