If the federal government shutdown continues, the government of Guam may have to cover $11 million a month to help residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program get food, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said Wednesday.
“We can’t not support it, because this is very important for those who can’t afford food for their families,” the governor told the Pacific Daily News.
That $11 million is not reimbursable, the governor said.
Close to one in four Guam residents gets help paying for food through SNAP each month, with some 36,993 getting assistance as of April, U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows.
The federal government shutdown became the second-longest in U.S. history on Wednesday, with the U.S. Senate unable to produce a budget to keep the government running.
With funding lapsing, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service has instructed the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services to halt benefits until further notice, DPHSS told the PDN.
SNAP is 100% federally funded.
Across the nation, state governments are warning that SNAP benefits could stop in November if the shutdown continues.
The ongoing shutdown hit 22 days on Wednesday. If it goes past Nov. 4, it will become the longest in the history of the federal government, surpassing the 35-day shutdown during President Donald J. Trump’s first term in 2018.
$11M not reimbursable
The governor said SNAP and other programs have enough money left to make it to the end of October and “maybe early November.”
“But after that, we will not be getting those,” she said. “We’re going to have to look for money…and $11 million is not an easy amount to find.”
The $11 million bill will cover SNAP benefits for one month, Adelup spokesperson Krystal Paco-San Agustin clarified Wednesday afternoon.
Adelup is eyeing excess revenues from taxes and fees collected over projections in GovGuam General Fund for fiscal year 2025.
According to Paco-San Agustin, the Office of the Governor confirmed that local money spent to cover SNAP benefits will not be reimbursable by the federal government.
Del. James Moylan’s office stated there was no confirmation from USDA about reimbursements for local money to pay SNAP or the Women, Infants and Children, WIC, program benefits.
Moylan had raised this issue directly with House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and was awaiting an official response, the delegate’s office stated.
“Ensuring that families do not lose access to these critical nutrition assistance programs remains a top priority,” the office stated, with Moylan in close contact with federal partners to ensure these essential programs continue uninterrupted.
EBT cards, BPT rollback, WIC
The governor on Wednesday said she believes GovGuam may be able to load local funds up so that SNAP recipients can use their existing electronic benefit transfer, EBT, cards.
A contingency plan is in the works with the Division of Homelessness and Poverty Prevention and other partners, Public Health said in a statement to the PDN.
Other support services tied to SNAP will be limited by the lack of funding, according to the agency.
Public Health said the WIC Program may receive contingency funding to support the service. USDA has provided assurances, the agency stated.
Guidance provided to state agencies indicates efforts are underway to ensure the continuity of WIC services, Public Health also said.
Families face a “Least Expensive Brand restriction” to stretch WIC benefits. They will have to find the lowest-priced brand in each food.
WIC was briefly paused on Oct. 1 and 2, but had since resumed and all 4,951 participating families were able to access monthly food benefits as of this week.
Leon Guerrero on Wednesday said WIC funding remains a concern.
She said the situation is exactly why she opposed lawmakers rolling back business privilege taxes in the fiscal 2026 budget act.
The 0.5% BPT rollback was estimated to reduce GovGuam revenues by about $40 million this fiscal year.
“When we were arguing about the point five BPT, we said all these things,” said Leon Guerrero, who vetoed the budget act over the tax rollback provision. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with the federal shutdown. We don’t know what’s going to happen with the federal grants, and we need to make sure the monies are there to continue on those very important, essential programs.”
Section 8, other concerns
Leon Guerrero said she did have outstanding concerns about other programs, to include Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments, with the shutdown continuing.
She said she would have to circle back with local agencies to see what specific impacts are coming.
Section 8 housing vouchers were paid through October, but November numbers were less clear, Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority Deputy Director Fernando Esteves said on Oct. 1.
An update from GHURA is pending as of Wednesday afternoon.
“I’m sure the constituents in the United States, have made it very clear to Congress about the importance of making sure that we continue on with the budget,” the governor said Wednesday
She said funding needed to continue while members of Congress “iron out what their differences are.”
