The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees approved $6,100,000 in emergency relief to support Native Hawaiian beneficiaries who could lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) EBT benefits amid the federal government shutdown, OHA chairperson Kaikahele said in a radio interview.

At an emergency meeting convened over the weekend, "the board of trustees approved $6,100,000 in emergency relief for, the families that are gonna be and individuals that are gonna be losing their SNAP benefits, especially those that, are not covered under the governor's immediate relief program," Kaikahele said.

The emergency action responds to a federal suspension of EBT funding that Kaikahele said will take effect the morning of Nov. 1. He said roughly 165,000 people statewide use SNAP daily; of those, about 46,000 individuals — roughly 26,000 households — are OHA beneficiaries. "There are approximately 29 of that 165,000 or about 46,000 individuals that represent 26,000 households that are OHA's beneficiaries," he said.

Why it matters: Kaikahele said OHA is prioritizing beneficiaries who "do not have dependents and may be may fall in that gap" and who therefore might not be covered by the governor's immediate relief program. He also cited federal civil service workers affected by furloughs: "we're also very cognizant of the, 24,600 federal civil service workers that have either been furloughed since October 1 or have had to go to work as accepted employees but have not received a paycheck... Come November 7, they're gonna miss their second full paycheck," Kaikahele said, estimating 3,000 to 5,000 Native Hawaiian beneficiaries are in the federal civil service workforce in Hawaiʻi.

Kaikahele said OHA staff will return to the board next week in Hilo with an action item to finalize how to distribute the funds and that the agency is "probably looking at is direct cash benefits to our, beneficiaries." He described steps underway to coordinate with the Department of Human Services and the governor's office and emphasized eligibility requirements tied to OHA's Hawaiian registry: "to be eligible, you need to be part of OHA's Hawaiian registry program... this red card here that you can get through the office of Hawaiian affairs, ensures that you are an eligible beneficiary."

Kaikahele framed the emergency measure as an immediate response to reduce hardship: "OHA is not waiting. We are getting off the sidelines, and we are taking immediate action." He also noted the emergency meeting was an uncommon step: the last emergency meeting was convened immediately after the Lahaina wildfires.

The board did not announce a vote tally or mover/second during the interview. Kaikahele said staff will return with details on distribution logistics and eligibility verification at the next board meeting in Hilo.

Looking ahead: OHA plans to work with state agencies to deploy the emergency relief quickly; details on the distribution timeline, the final eligibility list, and the mechanism for payments were not specified in the interview.