BROWNING — The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council has declared a State of Emergency as the partial federal government shutdown continues to strain local economies and disrupt food assistance programs. In response, tribal leaders have authorized the culling of 15 bison and three cattle from the Blackfeet reservation to help sustain community food access in the weeks ahead.
The processed meat from the culling will be distributed directly to tribal members across the reservation, an effort to provide relief as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) faces funding uncertainty.
Brianna Juneau reports - watch the video here:
Blackfeet Tribal Chairman Rodney Gervais Jr. said the full impact of the federal shutdown is still unfolding. “Some of it is still yet to be understood. We had held out hope that they would find a way to get the SNAP food benefits issued to all Montanans, including native nations and unfortunately, that didn't happen,” he explained. “It’s definitely going to impact those that are most vulnerable on the Blackfeet reservation.”
The State of Emergency declaration aims to ensure the tribe can respond quickly to food shortages and other economic pressures. Gervais said the council’s top priority is protecting tribal members’ access to food and security across all areas of the Blackfeet Nation including Browning, Babb, Cutbank, Starr School, Heart Butte, Seville, and other communities.
A major logistical challenge, Gervais noted, will be processing the meat both from the culling and from the upcoming Yellowstone hunt. Despite the challenge, the Tribal Council recognizes those who are most vulnerable on the reservation, and aims to provide assistance where they can.
He said, “We want anybody who is who is battling food insecurities to be able to access food. As long as we've got it, we're going to ensure that we're going to distribute that to those in most need.”
The shutdown which is now entering its fifth week shows few signs of ending soon. The Senate adjourned Thursday, October 30th and will not meet again until Monday, November 3rd. This will extend the government shutdown to at least its 34th day, which would match the longest funding lapse in U.S. history.
While senators have expressed cautious optimism about bipartisan negotiations to reopen the government and pass longer-term appropriation bills, no breakthroughs were reported Thursday, and the Senate did not vote on the House-passed continuing resolution.
Meanwhile, funding for SNAP is set to expire on Saturday, November 1st, leaving an estimated 42 million Americans, including thousands of tribal citizens, without access to benefits. Lawmakers say the looming freeze could heighten pressure on both parties to reach a deal.
Gervais responded to the continued lack of a resolution in the Senate with a call to do what’s right. “I think we've lost our way where our politicians are actually invigorating a lot of divisiveness, when to bring us together would be something as simple as, let's feed our children, our elders,“ he explained. “We just hold out and, of course, we have hope and faith and we keep moving forward, and we hope for a better day, but it just seems to be getting worse and worse. We hope it goes better.”
For now, the Blackfeet Nation remains focused on providing immediate relief to its people, leaning on community partnerships and traditional practices to weather an increasingly uncertain national crisis.
