Gov. Mike Dunleavy declares state disaster to provide food aid to Alaskans amid federal shutdown

Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News on Nov 3, 2025

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — In an effort to replace federal food assistance blocked by a U.S. government shutdown, Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Monday issued a state disaster declaration.

Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is frozen due to an ongoing disagreement between Republicans and Democrats in Congress on how to fund the federal government.

Amid the shutdown, President Donald Trump has refused to use federal emergency funds to keep aid flowing during the month of November to the more than 40 million Americans who rely on the program for food. That number includes more than 66,000 Alaskans. On Monday, following two court rulings, the Trump administration said it would partially fund the program, though it was unclear how quickly the money would be available to residents, the Associated Press reported.

Dunleavy initially said the state could not use its own funds to replace federal aid. As numerous other states declared emergencies to free up assistance last week, Dunleavy’s staff on Thursday said he had looked for funds to give to food banks, “but no funds have been identified.”

By Monday, however, the governor’s office said in a written statement that it would work with the federal contractor responsible for loading Electronic Benefit Transfer cards “to deposit benefits on a weekly schedule.”

The Department of Health will also “begin discussions with food banks and work with them to ensure the resources are available to assist Alaskans that may otherwise fall between the cracks,” the governor’s office said in a statement.

The announcement from Dunleavy came after lawmakers late last week urged the governor to take action, as other states had done, to ensure SNAP beneficiaries do not go hungry.

In a statement, Dunleavy said that his discussions with House Speaker Bryce Edgmon and Senate President Gary Stevens “have gone well and demonstrate that the executive and legislative branches work well when Alaskans are in need.”

In a statement shared by the governor’s office, Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, said, “Alaskans shouldn’t have to worry about how they’ll feed their families because of a federal stalemate.”

The state disaster declaration will be in effect for 30 days, allowing the governor to spend money from the state’s disaster relief fund. However, the fund does not have sufficient money in it to cover the cost of aid, according to a letter to lawmakers. Monthly food benefits to Alaskans total more than $20 million.

The governor’s office did not immediately provide details on the specific amount of state funds he planned to spend.

However, Dunleavy wrote in a letter to lawmakers that he was diverting $10 million meant for Village Safe Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Projects to the disaster relief fund to be used for food assistance.

Dunleavy said he would request supplemental funding during the coming regular legislative session, set to begin in January, to replenish the infrastructure funding and the disaster relief fund.

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