SNAP Program In Alaska Gets A Reprieve During Food Disaster
Alaska declares disaster over federal food aid failure, diverts $10 million for temporary help The money will be deposited as soon as this...
Alaska declares disaster over federal food aid failure, diverts $10 million for temporary help
The money will be deposited as soon as this week onto electronic cards used by Alaskans in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Gov. Mike Dunleavy discusses his new proposed omnibus education legislation at a news conference on Jan. 31, 2025. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Update: This article was updated Tuesday morning with a statement from the Department of Health, which expects the first aid payments to reach Alaskans this week.
Following a request by state legislators and similar action by other states, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Monday declared a 30-day state of disaster that allows the state to temporarily fund federal food-aid programs used by tens of thousands of Alaskans.
The state of Alaska will spend up to $10 million for direct financial assistance to Alaskans who use the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as much as $5 million per week, the governor said in a letter he sent to Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, and Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, on Monday.
Funding SNAP for an entire month would cost about $27 million per month, the governor said in a radio interview on Friday. “We don’t have it laying around,” he said, “and I don’t mean that flippantly, but we simply don’t because the money’s dedicated (to another purpose).”
The Dunleavy administration said on Monday it will work with federal contractors to make sure SNAP payments reach eligible Alaskans’ accounts each week and it will direct the Alaska Department of Health to work with food banks, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
“The Department of Health is working with the federal Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to complete the steps required to issue SNAP food benefits. Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown and other factors, recipient’s benefit amounts will be issued in multiple payments. Several processes are happening at the same time to move this forward as quickly as possible,” said Shirley Sakaye, director of communications for the Alaska Department of Health, late Monday. “Based on the information we have today, we anticipate Alaskans will start to receive their first payment this week. If anyone has a question about their benefit amount, they can call 1-888-997-8111.”
More than 66,000 Alaskans failed to receive their monthly food aid, colloquially known as food stamps, on Saturday. While almost one in 10 Alaskans receives aid through the program, that proportion is higher in rural and poorer parts of the state — Edgmon, who represents part of Southwest Alaska, said half of the residents in parts of his district receive help through SNAP.
Last week, and over the weekend, Dunleavy worked with members of the Legislature to find a way to fund food aid programs with state dollars instead of federal money. In a radio interview on Friday, the governor suggested it might take as long as three weeks to set up a temporary state-paid system, but that timeline accelerated, and now the first state-paid aid could reach Alaskans this week.
Legislative leaders applauded the governor’s announcement.
“Alaskans shouldn’t have to worry about how they’ll feed their families because of a federal stalemate,” Stevens said in a news release. “I appreciate and support the Governor’s declaration to ensure that Alaskans are not left behind because of inaction in Washington, D.C. Congress must reconcile their differences and act quickly so Alaskans, and all Americans, can continue to have the support and stability to care for their families.”
House Minority Leader Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, said she applauds the governor “for his swift and decisive action.”
“I certainly want to thank Gov. Dunleavy and the Senate President for rolling up their sleeves alongside of myself on behalf of the House Majority caucus and coming up with a short-term solution,” Edgmon said. “This issue, clearly, was code red. … We’re immensely relieved that we have a solution at hand, albeit temporary, and we’ve got fingers crossed that the federal shutdown is going to come to a close here sooner than later.”
The governor’s announcement came as a federal judge ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to pay at least a portion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance benefits to the 42 million eligible Americans by this Wednesday.
Last Friday, Alaska legislators from both parties expressed their concern about what they called an “impending statewide hunger crisis” in a letter to the state’s congressional delegation.
According to Dunleavy’s letter to lawmakers, the state’s disaster relief funds are not sufficient to cover the cost of the food aid, so the state will transfer $10 million from the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Village Safe Water and Wastewater Infrastructure program.
The Legislature will be asked to supplement the state’s disaster relief fund and return the money to its original appropriation in the next legislative session.
Meanwhile, the federal government shutdown continued Monday, with Democrats unwilling to vote for a Republican-proposed plan to restart the government, and Republicans unwilling to either relax filibuster rules or amend their restart plan in order to attract Democratic votes.
