Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) officials announced today that February food benefits are being provided early to thousands of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients due to the ongoing partial federal government shutdown.

DPHHS Director Sheila Hogan said the department will work diligently to load benefits onto SNAP recipient Montana EBT (electronic benefit transfer) cards on January 17, 2019. Normally, benefits are issued to recipients throughout the first week of each month.

Montana and other states received guidance from the U.S. Department of...