Montana issuing February SNAP benefits early due to shutdown

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Montana is issuing February nutrition assistance payments early due to the federal government shutdown.

Low-income residents should see their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments for February show up on their electronic benefit transfer cards Thursday.

The Department of Public Health and Human Services emphasizes these are early payments, not extra payments, and must stretch through February.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture authorized states to make early payments because the agency is funded for 30 days after the Dec. 22 government shutdown.

Montana pays about $12.2 million a month to 117,000 recipients.

The agency is getting the word out via its website, social media and recorded phone calls to recipients along with updating the recording on the phone line people can call to check their balances.

DPHHS is also asking grocery stores to post fliers and is asking tribes to notify members.

The shutdown is having increasing impacts throughout the nation, with some workers working without pay — such as U.S. Border Patrol agents and federal airport officials — and other bureaus such as the Farm Service Agency and Bureau of Land Management shut down.

Employees deemed non-essential who work for agencies that are not funded, such as FSA, were furloughed without pay.

Some federal employees such as airport officials who conduct safety inspection and IRS officials were ordered back to work this week, also without pay.

The shutdown has been caused by a clash between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats over Trump’s proposal to spend $5.7 billion to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to increase security.

Democrats, who control the House, refuse to fund the wall, saying it is unnecessary and would be ineffective, calling for increased personnel and technology and other improvements to increase border security.

Trump refuses to approve government funding unless it includes paying for the wall.