TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The Cherokee Nation says it will deploy $1.25 million to regional food banks and other programs after Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. declared a food security state of emergency in response to SNAP benefits being suspended due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
“Our $6.75 million response to the SNAP crisis is a fiscal and policy choice by a tribal Nation in a position to fill the gap,” Chief Hoskin said. “But, in the final analysis, quite simply we are morally and culturally compelled as Cherokees to do this.”
The 6.75 million response package included $4.5 million in direct cash assistance for Cherokee Nation citizens living within the tribe’s reservation and the surrounding counties. An application for a cash assistance of $185 per individual will be available on November 3…