government shutdown

Federal offices and agencies began reopening in Oregon after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history came to an end on Wednesday.

Oregon is among the states that provided full SNAP benefits on Friday. Gov. Tina Kotek said Sunday that Oregonians will still be able to use SNAP benefits they already recieved.

The Oregon Department of Human Services announced that people who receive SNAP food assistance would receive 100% of their November benefits on Friday.

Travelers at major airports from Seattle to San Diego are being advised to call airlines before turning up.

The federal government is directing all states to issue fifty percent of each household’s normal monthly SNAP benefit amount for November. But Oregon officials say it is not a simple process.

State offices have been seeing a surge in calls leading up to food benefits lapsing on Nov. 1.

More than five million low-income Californians are expected to lose their CalFresh food assistance benefits starting Saturday. States are suing the Trump administration to reinstate aid.

The judges ruled in favor of local officials who sought to force the federal government to keep the SNAP program running in November.

As funding deadlines approach, one Head Start program has closed and three others are about to. More closures are expected in the coming weeks.

Gov. Tina Kotek announced she’s sending $5 million in state funding to food banks on Wednesday as Oregon braces for a cutoff of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program expected at the start of November.

The states are among many that are going to court to force the federal government to use emergency reserve money to prop up the federal food assistance program.

The economic impact could be felt most powerfully in the state’s rural counties where a higher share of the workforce is employed by a federal agency.