The state of Alaska is limiting payments to SNAP recipients this week in response to federal guidance.
The state’s roughly 66,000 beneficiaries can expect a small additional payment this week, 15% of their typical monthly benefits, on top of the 50% issued last week, according to the state’s Division of Public Assistance.
As recently as Friday, division director Deb Etheridge said state officials were preparing to fully refill SNAP debit cards following an appeals court ruling.
But then, over the weekend, after the Supreme Court stepped in to pause that ruling, the federal government told states they could only issue a total of 65% of the monthly benefit. President Trump threatened financial penalties if states did not comply.
By Wednesday, Etheridge said, people who were eligible for a Nov. 1 SNAP payment will have 65% — about two thirds — of their usual benefits. But that’ll still leave the average household hundreds of dollars short, according to state data.
“We're here, and we're ready, and we're working really hard through the weekends to make sure that we can get the benefits out as soon as possible,” Etheridge said in an interview.
Etheridge said the state had hoped to fill the gap with state dollars freed up by a disaster declaration issued by Gov. Mike Dunleavy last week.
But the shifting guidance from the courts and the Trump administration has complicated the state’s efforts to get those state dollars to SNAP recipients’ debit cards, Etheridge said. Essentially, the fact that the Trump administration is issuing partial benefits — instead of denying payment outright — means that the Division of Public Assistance has to set up a parallel system to pay benefits with state funds.
“We fully expect that to be functional the week of (Nov.) 17,” Etheridge said.
In the meantime, Etheridge said aid enabled by Dunleavy’s disaster declaration was flowing to food banks around the state.
The SNAP reductions are part of the Trump administration’s response to the government shutdown, and the government appears to be on the verge of reopening.
Assuming the federal government moves quickly to issue SNAP guidance to states, Etheridge said beneficiaries could have their cards refilled in “a matter of days” once the government reopens.
