CTUIR Board of Trustees Responds to Federal Shutdown’s Impact to SNAP

MISSION – The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) Board of Trustees (BOT) on Friday, Oct. 31 approved $200,000 for tribal members who would be affected by the loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding due to the federal government shutdown.

The BOT approved the emergency dollars to make up for the loss of SNAP in November. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) no SNAP benefits would be issued in November as the government has yet to agree on funding allocations for fiscal year 2026.

To receive the CTUIR funds, tribal members who are currently enrolled in SNAP can apply from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3 to Thursday, Nov. 6 at the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in the Nixyáawii Governance Center. Tribal members, especially those who cannot visit DCFS, can also call 541-429-7300 or email ChildrenFamilyServices@ctuir.org for applications.

Needed documents for verification purposes are:

• CTUIR tribal ID card or state-issued ID card,
• Birthdate,
• Social Security number,
• SNAP benefit letter confirming enrollment,
• Release of Information (ROI) from Department of Human Services and, if needed,
• An updated Enrollment Address Change form.

“We in DCFS encourage the tribal members who are already enrolled in SNAP to please have your documents in order when applying to make things run smoothly,” DCFS Director Julie Taylor said. “We also recommend clients to keep their SNAP enrollments open and to not close them because of the difficulty of getting into the program.”

Checks will be mailed out each Friday to the addresses clients have on file with CTUIR Enrollment. The aid is not taxable as it stems from a temporary general welfare assistance program.

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) has stated SNAP electronic benefit transfer or EBT cards should work normally during the shutdown for clients who have funds in their SNAP accounts.

According to the ODHS, 462 CTUIR members in the state use the program. More than 1 million American Indian/Alaska Natives and 42 million Americans overall could be affected by the SNAP cutoff, according to the USDA.

A federal judge ruled Oct. 31 that the Trump administration cannot suspend SNAP benefits as it would likely violate federal law. However, the judge did not issue a full restraining order and directed the USDA to report back by Nov. 3 on whether it will issue at least reduced SNAP benefits for November and to outline whether it plans to use contingency funds or combine them with other funds to provide full benefits.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is comprised of the Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla Tribes, and formed under the Treaty of 1855 at the Walla Walla Valley, 12 Stat. 945. In 1949, the Tribes adopted a constitutional form of government to protect, preserve and enhance the reserved treaty rights guaranteed under federal law.