All Montanans eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, have received 100% of their benefit as of Saturday, the state Department Public Health and Human Services confirmed Monday.

Roughly 77,000 Montanans are eligible for the food assistance, and the average household in Montana receives $332 a month, according to data from DPHHS.

But families received their benefits late this month.

Politicians used SNAP benefits as a negotiating tool in the recent federal shutdown, according to Western Native Voice , a Montana nonprofit with a government relations director in Washington, D.C.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture directed states to withhold SNAP payments, sparking concern in Montana among families and at food banks preparing for a surge of cust

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