Tribal nations are struggling to cover the costs of heating, food and education because of the government shutdown, advocates said at a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday.

The Trump administration’s overhaul of the nation’s largest food assistance program will cause millions of people to lose benefits, strain state budgets, and pressure the nation’s food supply chain, all while likely hindering the goals of the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” platform,

"We’re going to protect those in our region who are most at risk of hunger due to the federal government shutdown," Cherokee Nation Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said.

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner stated that the declaration is a result of the federal government shutdown. This declaration made over $6.75 million in emergency relief funding available.

In response to economic challenges from the ongoing federal government shutdown and potential reductions in food-assistance funding, the Blackfeet Tribal Busine

The government shutdown threatens food assistance for nearly one in three residents in some of the state's poorest counties.