Seasonal workers in Alaska, including fishermen, restaurant servers, hotel staff, and seasonal tourism staff feed us, serve us, and welcome visitors from around the world. Yet these same Alaskans are among those at risk under proposed cuts to the SNAP and Medicaid, part of the federal budget reconciliation process in what’s being called the “Big, Beautiful Bill” (BBB).
Currently, Congress is considering more than $1 trillion in proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid. Nearly 70,000 Alaskans rely on SNAP, and 1 in 3 use Medicaid. If these cuts go through, the ripple effects will be felt across every community.
These cuts could worsen food insecurity in Alaska, especially in rural and seasonal communities where access to steady income and affordable groceries is already limited.
Food Bank of Alaska partners with the Department of Public Assistance (DPA) to help people apply for SNAP in Alaska.
Food Bank of Alaska partners with the Department of Public Assistance (DPA) to help people apply for SNAP in Alaska. SNAP has helped lift tens of thousands out of poverty. It provides not just meals but stability.
It’s also a highly efficient program with real economic impact. In 2023 alone, SNAP generated more than $281 million in spending at 552 Alaska retailers, from major grocery stores to local farmers' markets.
The BBB proposes deep cuts to SNAP and shifts an unsustainable share of the program’s costs to states like Alaska. Under the bill, Alaska would be required to take on additional administrative expenses and, for the first time, cover up to 15 percent of direct food benefits. These costs are currently paid entirely by the federal government.
That’s $50 million per year that Alaska would need to find in the state budget. This is a conservative estimate based on data from the Department of Public Assistance.
Furthermore – new red tape administrative requirements would make it harder for those with nontraditional work schedules. Fishing, tourism, service industry workers, whose incomes and schedule fluctuate drastically with our seasons are uniquely positioned to get hit, hard.
The proposed changes would require more adults to prove employment, including those up to age 64 and parents of children as young as 10. Exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth would be eliminated. The authority to waive work requirements in high-unemployment areas, including much of rural Alaska, would also be sharply limited.
This cost shift and increased administrative requirements come at the same time the bill eliminates SNAP-Ed, which funds free nutrition and cooking classes in rural communities, and changes how utility and internet costs are counted towards income - further penalizing those in remote regions where heating, groceries, and internet are already more expensive.
For a more in-depth look at national SNAP cuts and their projected impact, see Feeding America’s analysis.
Did you know? Alaska’s workforce is more likely than the national average to work only part of the year. In fact, 20 percent of Alaskan workers were employed for fewer than 38 weeks, compared to 14 percent nationwide.
Many Alaskans who rely on SNAP or Medicaid work in seasonal industries. These workers often don’t meet new federal employment requirements under the proposed bill.
|
|
Fishing, Hunting, Trapping |
Service |
Tourism |
|
Uses SNAP or Medicaid/CHIP |
1 in 3 |
2 in 5 |
1 in 4 |
|
Seasonal work that would not meet new requirements |
1 in 2* |
1 in 3 |
1 in 3 |
*More than half of Alaskan Fishing and Hunting workers in 2023 (and in other recent years) were not employed in more than 13 weeks of the year, meaning they would likely have trouble meeting the SNAP requirement to document work for all but 3 of the last 36 months.
So, who looks after the people who take care of us and our visitors?
We all do. State budget impacts affect all of us. As Alaska works on solutions for affordable housing, childcare, and energy, we cannot leave our neighbors behind. A SNAP recipient can look like anyone. In 2023, 14 percent of Alaska veterans lived in a household that received SNAP benefits or health coverage through Medicaid or CHIP.
Remember, 1 in 10 Alaskans use SNAP. This is the wrong policy at the wrong time for our state. Food banks and charitable programs cannot fill the $211 billion national gap these SNAP cuts would create. Already, 1 in 7 Alaskans and 1 in 5 children face food insecurity. If Congress passes this bill, that number will only grow.
Use your voice. It’s time to speak up and defend food assistance in Alaska.
Learn More from the Alaska Food Policy Council
Dive deeper into the state of food security and local solutions happening now.