The federal government is shut down, and with negotiations over Affordable Care Act subsidies and Medicaid funding at an impasse, there is no end in sight.
We know Nevada’s roughly 22,000 federal workers have not received a full paycheck since September. Now, a much larger swath of Nevadans is affected. That’s because approximately half a million Nevadans who receive food aid through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – or SNAP – did not receive their benefits this month. That equates roughly $90 million in federal funds meant to help families across the state.
Pierron Tackes, Director of Health and Social Policy at the Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities, said, "It affects urban populations and rural populations about the same statistically in Nevada, but we know, of course, accessing food in urban areas and rural areas are really different. So the solutions to food insecurity in those populations will look really different."
One thing that is true for both urban and rural areas is the reliance on local food banks for support.
"We rely heavily on our community coalitions," Tackes said. "There are individuals who do receive benefits from our government programs — from SNAP [or] WIC. Still, a lot of the work being done in food insecurity is being done on the local level through coalitions like the food banks, such as the Northern Nevada Food Bank and the Southern Nevada Food Council. Throughout the state, we have these community coalitions that are really working to fill the gap."
Tackes adds that the report did not take into account the effects of SNAP benefits suddenly coming to a halt. However, she said, the current system wasn't set up to handle a sudden surge of new requests for food.
"It places a huge burden on the safety net that those coalitions provide, and I think it's a huge ask to ask them to fill that gap," Tackes said.
Guests: Pierron Tackes, director of health and social policy, Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities
