Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits could be suspended starting Nov.1 unless Congress funds the government and ends a shutdown stalemate.
About 685,000 people in Oklahoma use the program to help buy groceries across the state, according to the Department of Human Services. In response, tribal nations are pulling together resources, including existing food aid, to help people avoid missing meals.
Many tribes in Oklahoma are concerned about the federal government shutdown's impacts and are looking at ways to help feed people in the meantime. Cheyenne and Arapaho Governor Reggie Wassana said his tribal nation is looking at all the resources it can provide to SNAP shoppers who might not get their benefits.
"Now, we are preparing as if they won't get them," Wassana said. "However, we also feel that we're hoping that Congress approves the budget and smarter heads prevail."
He said he hopes Congress will also understand that millions of people, including the elderly, disabled and children, throughout the U.S. and hundreds of thousands in the state, aren't in the position to secure their own food sources — and that they pass a budget to get food in their hands.
If they don't, Wassana said the tribes will ensure the food distribution programs are well-stocked, allocate additional funding through the tribal legislators for the food pantry, and continue processing bison.
"If it does happen, we'll probably go out through cities throughout the State of Oklahoma and try to have some food tailgates that will help people be able to drive and maybe pick up some much-needed food supplies," Wassana said.
Tasha Mousseau, vice president of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, said the tribe already operates under funding constraints. Because many of its citizens use federal programs, this creates additional strain.
But she said the tribal nation is trying to be proactive. Mousseau said her tribe is working to create resource lists, coordinate with food banks and food boxes to fill gaps.
"We're really trying to be a hub to connect them to resources and to create alternatives that will help feed their families in the interim," Mousseau
Oklahoma is one of the most food-insecure states in the nation, according to the US Department of Agriculture. She said there is existing food insecurity in rural communities and tribal nations, which intersects with the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. Mousseau said feeding people is not only about providing sustenance but it's also an important part of their tribal culture.
"One piece of advice that I would give to all citizens, whether they're citizens of a tribal nation or citizens of the United States, is to really contact their legislators, their Congress people, to advocate for their needs," Mousseau said.
In Eastern Oklahoma, the Muscogee Nation is gathering information on resources still available for people and what the tribal nation can do legally and monetarily. Jason Salsman, Muscogee Nation press secretary, said it's an all-hands-on-deck situation.
"It very much reminds me of the early days of COVID, for us, and not only in the need and the need to pull all together, but in this sort of, OK, we've unlocked this door, but there's one locked behind it," Salsman said.
While there is a big concern with SNAP benefits, Salsman said, the nation has also seen other impacts of the shutdown, such as furloughed federal employees and others worried about their grants or employment.
He said the main concern is that if more resources are needed, they're likely to come from other funding sources.
"It's becoming a real impact on people's nutrition, their food," Salsman said. "That's how silly this has gotten to that we're now going to put people at risk of not receiving these basic human needs because we've got this stalemate in Washington."
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
