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Disclaimer: At the time that this story is being sent to print on Nov. 4, the government shutdown is still in effect. The information in this story however, has been structured so that in the event of the shutdown ending before its distribution date, Nov. 6, the story’s information will still be relevant, as many of the effects of a prolonged shutdown remain even after it ends.

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As of Tuesday evening, the government shutdown that started on Oct. 1 became the longest shutdown in US history. Its effects have hit communities across the nation, and its effects on the combined CWU/Ellensburg community are no different.

Most directly, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for millions were delayed or canceled starting Nov. 1, and government grants have been paused for the duration of the shutdown, affecting colleges across Washington. 

Financial Impacts

The financial impacts of a government shutdown are oftentimes the most immediate and the most long-lasting even after a shutdown ends.

Students like Yariel Rodriguez, a freshman majoring in electrical engineering technology, rely on loans and Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, which have been strongly affected by the shutdown as access to these benefits has been lost due to lack of federal funding. 

Rodriguez stated that although VA benefits are well funded, they can’t pay the recipients of the benefits because of the shutdown. Because of the pause on his VA benefits, Rodriguez had to take out loans that he wouldn’t have before. 

“Every single military service worker, even if you’re a contractor, you’re affected,” Rodriguez said. “You’ll see people overseas … they can’t pay for the rent. So, right now, a lot of them are moving back to being on base and on base housing.” 

As an additional effect of a prolonged shutdown, The Small Business Administration has put a stop to approving new loan applications. Federal programs such as Head Start, an early development health and education program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) have also been negatively impacted financially.

Economics Professor Peter Gray gave insight on how the recent layoffs have affected, and will continue to harm not just the country, but local communities too. “I haven’t been directly affected, but I know people who are severely impacted,” Gray said. “For example, a friend in Wenatchee was running a small research lab that provided valuable information to the WA tree fruit industry. She was fired with no warning or notice, along with her staff, many of whom were student interns. If and when funding is restored, many of the best scientists and experts will be wary of re-entering this kind of public service work.”

“The negative effects from funding cuts and layoffs, currently and from the reckless cuts by Elon Musk earlier in the year, tend to occur over longer time periods, and many of them are irreversible,” Gray said. “For example, abundant evidence shows that government-funded science R&D, cancer and infectious disease research, public health, food and other product safety, etc., have paid off at least five times the investment. A loss of those investments, and the dedicated experts who implement them, will take years to do its damage, and by then most people will not be able to make the connection.”

EBT and SNAP

According to Northwest Harvest Food Bank, of those who receive food benefits in Washington, about 1 million residents will no longer have access to their EBT and other financial benefits, like SNAP. Just under $40 million is normally dispersed amongst Washington residents who have SNAP. All residents with food benefits will either receive reduced payment or be left with no money for food.

Because of the sudden drop in food benefits, food banks across the country are preparing to help. Washington Governor Robert Ferguson has issued an additional $2.2 million per week to food banks across the state. 

Jaimelynn McAfee, a 21 year-old Ellensburg resident, has utilized SNAP benefits since she was 17 years-old and has witnessed firsthand the effect the shutdown has had on other residents who rely on SNAP benefits and the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system through her job as a cashier.

“I’m definitely more worried for single moms, disabled people, elderly people that use it, just more for the people that really would take that struggle,” McAfee said. “I will print out a receipt for them. It will say that they have an available amount of money to use, and yet the card will still decline them. And some people have already started experiencing either trouble with their card, their cards straight up declining, available funds being shown, but not being able to use it.”

McAfee went on to state that she herself has had to set aside more money for food and bills and less for other needs, putting a strain on her financial situation.

Gray provided statistics regarding the negative effects of halting EBT disbursement, “More than half of SNAP-receiving households have children, and 40% of recipients are children. Most of the remaining recipients are elderly or disabled. One of the most important benefits of SNAP is that it leads to healthier eating, higher productivity, better pregnancy and birth outcomes, and lower healthcare costs for everyone.”

The Wildcat Pantry

While federal food programs have been impacted and are struggling to provide assistance to those on the programs, local organizations in the Ellensburg community have been continuing to take a stand fighting against food insecurity. At CWU, the Wildcat Pantry offers students no-cost access to their centralized “pantry” of food, essential clothing, hygiene and household products. 

Charles Johnson, the Wildcat Pantry coordinator, talked about the complexities of food insecurity, and how the role of the pantry has changed this since its creation in 2022. 

“(The Washington Student Achievement Council) (WSAC) has been able to tell us that about 43% of our students will face food insecurity at some point at Central; food insecurity being seen many different ways. There’s short term, long term, momentary … our first year as an official program, 2022 to 2023, we served about three-thousand [visits] over the course of the year. Last year we served about ten-thousand visits,” Johnson said. “85% [of those visits] are recurring … from our first year as a program, we have grown about 236%.”

With the Wildcat pantry serving so many students a year, its consistent growth and success highlights the community’s embrace of food assistance programs. When asked about correlations between the threats to government-run food assistance and the Wildcat Pantry, Johnson highlighted the latest changes they have seen to the Pantry’s usage. 

“Just this month alone, we have had about 1,200 visits within the pantry, which is much higher than we have seen in the past for a singular month. Usually, that’s numbers we’re doing over the course of two and a half months, maybe a quarter,” Johnson said. “We’ve seen how the government shutdown and the risk of losing out on SNAP benefits, and with the tariffs … students are a lot more aware of their financial situation, and the rising cost of food.”

Kelly Boozer, the resource coordinator for Basic Needs, the team at Central that works to provide students with “accessible and equitable services through their time at CWU,” often works alongside Johnson and the pantry to help accommodate the student population going through hardship. According to Boozer, the number of students reliant on SNAP benefits on CWU has been on the rise. “Looking at the numbers, it does look like it has obviously gone up … We’ve already given out about $15,000 out of emergency funding, and that’s only including the grant I manage, SSEH (Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness),” Boozer said. “I can definitely say that there’s a monetary difference discrepancy.”

Charles Johnson also talked about the Pantry’s next steps in case the demand for food assistance picks up even further. “All we can do is prepare. We’re going to be operating the same way we have been before, making sure we’re here and accessible for students during the hours they expect us to be, and we’re going to be ordering more food in so we can account for how much food is going out ourselves.”

If you or anyone you know is in need of further assistance during this lapse in SNAP and EBT funding, you can reach out to local services such as: APOYO (Allied People Offering Year-Round Outreach) and FISH food bank.

Corrections: Kelly Boozers title was updated to reflect her accurate position within Basic Needs, separate from that of the Wildcat Pantry.