BILLINGS — Recipients of federal aid programs, including WIC and SNAP, could struggle to receive needed benefits if the federal government shuts down Oct. 1.
It's a reality that may not directly affect all Montanans but for Billings resident June Krebs, it's a scenario that she's closely monitoring.
"What happens if the government shuts down? You’re screwed. How are we going to buy food? We can’t right now as it is... We’re living off a generator. We spend $200 a week on gas, and we don’t run the generator all the time. We do without electricity, without all that stuff," said Krebs Thursday.
Krebs and thousands of other Montanans who benefit from the federal government’s supplemental nutrition assistance program, or SNAP, could see their benefits halted.
"If you make Social Security, well, crap man, you don’t make enough to pay the bills and buy groceries. And if you work like my husband does right now, you don’t make enough to pay the bills and buy groceries," Krebs added.
The shutdown also has recipients who rely on the government’s WIC program worried. WIC, which stands for Women, Infants and Children, provides nutrition assistance to almost 3,000 women, infants, and children in Yellowstone and surrounding counties.
Kate Monger is the WIC and family health services program manager at RiverStone Health.
She says benefits will continue through October even if the government shuts down at the end of the month.
"We are hoping that this shutdown lasts as short as possible... Unfortunately, we don’t have much information quite yet on what we would do if it did extend beyond that point," said Monger on Thursday.
But it’s that scenario that has many worried. And one that Family Service in Billings is bracing for.
"Individuals who are receiving those funds if they don’t receive it past that October deadline, would rely on us. So, we’re seeing right now around 120 families every single day in our food room. If we had to see more, it would just really affect how much we can put out through the food room," said the executive director of Billings Family Service, Ryan Cremer, on Thursday.
It's food that June Krebs relies on to feed her family, and it's a place that she’ll certainly continue to use if Congress fails to prevent a shutdown.
"Sometimes they run out of stuff and sometimes they don’t. Any little bit helps nowadays," added Krebs.
