A total of $15.6 million in state funding will be allocated to support food banks and the Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging during the government shutdown.
The announcement from Gov. Mike Kehoe on Wednesday comes as federal funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will be temporarily unavailable beginning Saturday, Nov. 1.
Kehoe said in a news release that he has ordered a $5 million distribution to Missouri food banks using Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding. The TANF funding is typically used later in the fiscal year, but it is being issued now due to the loss of SNAP benefits.
“While the State of Missouri cannot fully replace federal SNAP benefits for those who rely on them, we are working to expedite additional funding sources to assist Missouri’s senior population and food banks,” Kehoe said in the release.
If the government shutdown lasts through Nov. 5, it will become the longest shutdown in U.S. history, a title currently held by a shutdown that ended in 2019.
According to reporting by the BBC, around 1.4 million federal employees are either on unpaid leave or working without pay.
While the government shutdown has affected Americans across the nation, the impact on Columbia remains minimal for now. Here is a breakdown of how the shutdown is affecting Boone County:
SNAP in Boone County
The Boone County Commission will send $50,000 to help stock The Food Bank Market in Columbia during November.
Meals on Wheels of Columbia will be providing up to 5,000 meals to SNAP recipients starting Nov. 6. Recipients can receive seven meals for each member of the household per week. Registration is required through a form on its website.
Meals on Wheels is a nonprofit organization that works to extend independence to seniors in the community by providing meals to those with limited mobility.
Executive Director Teri Walden said even though they typically serve people who are over the age of 65 or have a disability, they wanted to be a good community partner and help those facing food insecurity.
“It is part of our mission statement that we help during a time of difficulty in the community, and since it relates to food, that is kind of in our wheelhouse,” Walden said.
Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging
Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging help support and respond to the needs of aging adults. These agencies assist seniors by providing services such as meal delivery and transportation to and from medical appointments.
Kehoe directed $10.6 million from the Senior Services Growth and Development Fund to the association. This money will be critical in supporting the agencies as it gives meals to the seniors, according to the release.
The association supports Aging Best, its affiliated agency in Columbia.
Julie Peetz, executive director of the association, said the agencies could lose programs due to the lack of funding from the government shutdown.
“We are seeing some of our senior centers actually stopping meal services, and several are actually shutting down; some are reducing hours,” Peetz said. “It’s really nerve-racking to see every day that goes on, it puts these centers at a greater risk.”
WIC benefits
Austin Krohn, a spokesperson for Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services, said the Health Department was concerned about the effect of funding delays for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
“Thankfully, now that WIC is funded through November, at the very least, there hasn’t been an effect,” Krohn said. “All through October, we have been able to serve WIC participants, and they’ve been able to redeem vouchers for food like usual. We didn’t have to stall any programming for anyone.”
In a news release from the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services, the department encouraged WIC participants to continue to attend appointments and redeem benefits with their WIC card until further notice.
Columbia Regional Airport
Columbia Regional Airport Manager Mike Parks said the airport has not seen any impact from the government shutdown so far.
The air traffic control team is staffed by Midwest ATC, headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. The company is a private air traffic control provider, which does not receive federal money, Parks said. Therefore, it has not been affected by the shutdown.
Parks and his team continue to have conversations with local Transportation Security Administration agents regarding staffing. TSA employees — including those at Columbia Regional Airport — are currently working without pay.
Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration released a state-level breakdown highlighting the shutdown’s impact on loans received by small businesses from the administration. On average each week of the shutdown, 25 loans for Missouri small businesses, which are normally provided by the SBA, are not approved. This has left $15.6 million in loan assistance blocked from Missouri businesses.
“With the SBA’s loan programs shuttered, thousands of small businesses are now unable to access the vital funding they need to survive, let alone thrive — and will soon begin cutting hours and benefits, laying off workers, and contemplating closing up shop for good,” SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said in a news release.
Missouri Department of Transportation
Missouri Department of Transportation spokesperson Taylor Brune said in a statement that the Federal Highway Administration’s surface transportation funds are not affected by the government shutdown.
“MoDOT doesn’t have any impacts to share on this topic,” Brune said in an email.
All major roadway construction is set to continue as scheduled, including the addition of a third lane on Interstate 70.
Head Start
Central Missouri Community Action’s Executive Director Darin Preis said there is no current threat to Head Start in Boone County.
“We are operating on funds that Congress approved last year, and there is no threat that we will have to shut down in the near future,” he said in an email. “Some programs have grants that start Nov. 1, and they may have to shut down temporarily until the shutdown ends. Once the shutdown ends, both the House and Senate budgets include Head Start funding.”
Department of Natural Resources
Connie Patterson, a Department of Natural Resources spokesperson, said that Region 7, which covers Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and the major tribes, furloughed some of their grants team on Oct. 20.
“The majority of our federal grant draws — and all for EPA — occur through online federal portals, so they should not be impacted by the shutdown,” Patterson said in an email.
Patterson said more than 80% of the department’s budget is passed through to Missouri communities. It is the department’s goal to maintain services in those communities through the shutdown.
Veterans Affairs
According to the VA Columbia Missouri Health Care website, the system remains open and all appointments and services will continue as normal.
Missourian reporters Jackson West and Ella Groves contributed to this article.