77,000 Montanans could lose access to food assistance if government shutdown continues

More than 77,000 Montanans — and potentially 41 million Americans — could lose access to a food assistance program beginning in November if the federal government shutdown continues.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently directed states to stop issuing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits in November, according to a message on the Montana state health department’s website.

“This means that you may not receive SNAP benefits for November, even if you are authorized to receive them,” the message reads.  

Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Communications Director Jon Ebelt said in a statement Tuesday the agency is mailing the same notice to 35,650 SNAP households. Other states have issued similar directives. 

The federal government shutdown began Oct. 1 when lawmakers failed to pass a federal budget. The weeks-long shutdown has affected operations at national parks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Indian Affairs, among other entities, and it’s unclear how long the stalemate will last. 

Montana food bank leaders say the disruption of benefits would strain food assistance programs and hurt individuals, families and communities statewide.

SNAP is a federal program that helps low-income individuals and families buy groceries. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees the program, state agencies are responsible for implementing it. Most SNAP participants are children, elderly people and individuals with disabilities. Federal studies have found that SNAP benefits help reduce food insecurity and alleviate poverty. In 2024, the federal government spent $99.8 billion on SNAP. That same year, the average SNAP recipient received about $187 in monthly assistance. 

As of September, 77,679 Montanans, or about 7% of the state’s population, participated in SNAP, according to state data.

Patty White, communications director for Helena Food Share, said SNAP benefits play a critical role in helping low-income people access affordable food outside of emergency assistance programs, like food pantries. 

“[SNAP] allows people to find exactly what they need at any time, on the weekend or at night, when we’re not available to them,” she said. “[SNAP benefits] are really their primary sources for ensuring they have food security for themselves and their families.”

Shaun Tatarka, executive director of Great Falls Community Food Bank, which distributes food to pantries and other emergency food providers, said a disruption in SNAP benefits will strain the entire food assistance system. More people will likely visit food pantries, and pantry suppliers like his organization often operate on fixed budgets, making it hard to meet a sudden increased demand. 

“Every time [SNAP] is cut, we do feel it,” he told Montana Free Press in a Tuesday interview. “To not have it around at all, that would be pretty much a disaster.”

Iris Sharp — co-director of FAST Blackfeet, a nonprofit that promotes food sovereignty — said a SNAP disruption would hit her tribal community particularly hard. Located in north-central Montana, the Blackfeet Reservation is considered a food desert, meaning residents have limited access to affordable, healthy food. Sharp said food prices are high in the community due to transportation costs. And while some people may drive 250 miles round-trip to Great Falls or 200 miles round-trip to Kalispell to buy cheaper groceries, she said, not everyone has access to a vehicle. 

FAST Blackfeet’s Ō’yō’·ṗ’ Food Pantry serves more than 400 families each week. If SNAP benefits were to stop, Sharp said the pantry may have to fundraise more money to support additional staff and meet a greater demand for food. 

“Our motto is food is medicine,” she said. “And SNAP is access.”

The Trump administration notably allocated $300 million in tariff revenue to support the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) through the shutdown. But in a mid-October post on X, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said “there are not enough funds to provide SNAP,” directing blame for the shutdown at Congressional Democrats.

In May, the last month for which data is available, the government spent $7.8 billion on SNAP benefits, according to the USDA. While the federal agency could dip into its reserve funds to keep SNAP afloat during the shutdown, it’s unclear how much contingency money is available, according to Food Research and Action Center. During the Biden administration, the reserves stood at $6 billion, according to the advocacy group. 

Kiera Condon, advocacy specialist for the Montana Food Bank Network, said if SNAP stops in November, it won’t just be participants who suffer. In 2023, according to the Food Research and Action Center, 813 retailers in Montana redeemed a total of $182.5 million in SNAP benefits.  

“Our state as a whole, grocery stores and retailers are going to be missing out on significant money,” Condon said. 

A government shutdown, she added, does not necessitate the end of food assistance. 

“This doesn’t just happen whenever a government shutdown happens,” Condon said. “This happens because lawmakers are not thinking about keeping Montanans fed. No one should go hungry because of political gridlock.”