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Washington navigates food stamp status for thousands of Whatcom County residents

Governor-elect Bob Ferguson speaks during a legislative session preview at the Capitol Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Photo: Associated Press

OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – More clarity is coming to light surrounding the status of food stamps for thousands of local residents.

Gov. Bob Ferguson says his office received guidance from the Trump administration on Tuesday morning on how to distribute SNAP benefits.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Monday that it will partially fund SNAP, though it wasn’t clear how much people would receive.

Gov. Ferguson now says this latest information from the government indicates that SNAP recipients will get half of their usual benefits. The governor says the state is working to get benefits out as quickly as possible once the funding is released.

It comes as new data released by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell shows that just over 10% of Whatcom County residents rely on food stamps.

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