Oregon tribes to receive $1 million for food assistance amid SNAP pause

(This story has been updated to include new information.)

Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes will receive a combined $1 million to combat food instability from delays to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program disbursements, Gov. Tina Kotek said Nov. 6.

The funding will come from the Oregon Department of Human Service’s Office of Resilience and Emergency Management.

Grant agreements were to be shared with the tribes by Nov. 7.

It was not immediately clear how much of the $1 million each tribe would receive.

“The refusal of the Trump Administration to maintain SNAP benefits during the federal shutdown is creating instability for families and communities that rely on this critical help to buy food,” Kotek said in a statement. “We are moving quickly to ensure that Tribal governments and local partners have the resources they need to meet immediate food security needs.”

Kotek put $5 million toward Oregon’s food banks on Oct. 29 from prior years’ excess Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds.

The distributions come as more than 750,000 Oregonians, about 90,000 of whom are residents of Marion and Polk counties, did not receive SNAP benefits beginning Nov. 1.

Food stamps were not distributed due to the federal government shutdown, now the longest in history.

The Trump administration must fund November SNAP benefits by Nov. 7, a judge ordered on Nov. 6. Recipients had been expected to get some of the funds for November this month, potentially up to 65%, after earlier court orders called for benefits be disbursed. When and how those funds would be sent out was unclear.

USA Today reporter Sarah D. Wire contributed to this story.

Anastasia Mason covers state government for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at acmason@statesmanjournal.com or 971-208-5615.