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Council committee considers resolution urging restoration of federal food assistance funding during shutdown

Spokane City Council Finance & Administration Committee · November 4, 2025

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Summary

A resolution requested that federal lawmakers end the federal shutdown and urged exploration of local emergency measures — such as postponing utility collection actions or transit fare relief — to mitigate impacts on SNAP beneficiaries and laid-off federal workers; councilors cautioned about administrative complexity and fairness concerns.

Andreas Greda presented a resolution asking federal legislators to promptly end the federal shutdown and urging local measures to mitigate harm to residents affected by disruptions to SNAP and other federal programs. The resolution commends the governor's weekly food-assistance allocation and requests the administration explore short-term local measures such as postponing utility collection actions, temporary transit fare relief for affected individuals, and other emergency measures (00:49:20).

Council members discussed operational challenges. Staff said the utilities department could postpone collection actions (to avoid service termination) but cannot "waive" service fees; staff noted identifying and verifying eligible individuals would be administratively complex. Several councilors raised fairness concerns about prioritizing federal workers or SNAP beneficiaries over other affected groups (for example, local private-sector employees laid off because of the shutdown) and urged broader, universally applied policies where possible.

Council members suggested narrowing language to request that the administration explore emergency measures rather than prescribing specific programs. The resolution remains under committee consideration; staff will connect with transit and utilities to assess operational feasibility and legal limits.