Tribes reduce the numbers of reintroduced buffalo herds as governmental inaction violates treaty commitments

When the U.S. government shutdown reached its 40th day in November 2025, Native American tribes throughout the Great Plains took an extraordinary step: they began culling buffalo herds, which they had painstakingly rebuilt over decades, to provide food for their people. For instance, the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes in Montana,

resulting in about 12,000 pounds of meat, which was distributed to tribal members whose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits had been reduced.

With the shutdown halting federal funding for food assistance, nearly one in three Fort Peck tribal members received only partial payments. "We kept bringing it up to the tribal council: If the government runs out of money, how do we make sure our people eat?"

, who manages the Fort Peck bison herd. The tribe’s decision highlighted the severe impact of the funding gap, with leaders describing the buffalo cull as a necessary act of survival rooted in their history of perseverance.

This emergency echoed wider interruptions to food support. The Trump administration had halted full SNAP disbursements, citing a lack of funds, and the Supreme Court

after a lower court had ordered the restoration of benefits. Tribal leaders maintained that the shutdown breached treaty commitments to support Native communities. , who leads the National Congress of American Indians, stated, "This is the responsibility they accepted when they took our land."

Other tribes, such as the Blackfeet, Cheyenne River Sioux, and Crow, also turned to their buffalo herds for food. The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe in South Dakota

to 100 members after their benefits dropped to 65% of normal levels. Meanwhile, the Comanche Nation in Oklahoma received deer meat for food pantries, and the Mi'kmaq Nation in Maine to local food banks.

The buffalo’s role in this emergency is deeply ironic: the animal that once helped Indigenous peoples survive forced displacement and famine is once again essential, this time due to failures in federal support. Historically, Plains tribes relied on buffalo for food, clothing, and shelter until the species was nearly wiped out by 19th-century commercial hunters.

, which began many years ago, had symbolized cultural renewal—now, it is a critical resource for survival.

The shutdown’s effects on food aid extended beyond tribal lands. The USDA’s move to

left 42 million Americans with less assistance, prompting food banks to take emergency action and sparking viral tips for stretching limited resources. Tribal leaders condemned the administration’s refusal to use backup funds, with Fort Peck member Dillon Jackson-Fisher remarking, , "Our car is in the shop, but feeding our families comes before paying for repairs."

Although an agreement to end the shutdown was close, tribal leaders said they would keep distributing buffalo meat until federal assistance resumed. The crisis exposed the vulnerability of food systems for both Native communities and the wider public, with tribal representatives calling on lawmakers to honor treaty responsibilities and provide emergency funding.

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