In late 2018, the U.S. government was embroiled in partisan gridlock and failed to pass a budget. Negotiations stalled and government funding lapsed, resulting in the federal government being shut down for 35 days — the longest such shutdown ever. This precipitated a cataclysm of food insecurity, visibly exposing how many furloughed government employees, and others impacted by the shutdown, were just one missed paycheck away from a household crisis.

The shutdown also impacted Americans already receiving federal assistance from programs like SNAP (formerly food stamps) when lags and delays in benefits created additional hardship for food insecure families. Though there was contingency funding for SNAP, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) that served households in Indian Country was left unfunded.