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Report on the Town Hall Event on Federal Cuts, Subsistence, SNAP & Food Security in Kotzebue, Alaska
Guest Blog By Joshua Hadley, Kotzebue’s City Council Member
A town hall event was held in Kotzebue, Alaska at the Lions Club building on November 17th, 2025. The event was hosted by NW Arctic Takes Action and the Indigenous Outreach Program, with cuts in federal spending being the main driver of organizing this town hall. The turnout was great, with the venue nearly packed with concerned residents. The discussion was led by a panel made of Kotzebue’s own Dr. Ruth Ann Zent, Karmen Monigold on Subsistence, Natalie Dickey on Food Bank, with Arnaciar Boyer and Carly Wier joining them from the Rural and Indigenous Outreach Program with knowledge on state and federal policy. Food security was a heavy focus of the discussion that night, from issues of getting food out to the outlying villages, to how to deal with our dwindling caribou herd.
Aatchuqtuutiliq Avatmun (Sharing)
As you know the federal government just had a record long shutdown, which led to people not being able to get their SNAP benefits, the program being a federal one that helps low-income households buy food. During this crisis we discovered a void in the state’s food bank program, with many villages being unable to meet the requirements for their own distribution facility. There are concerns with Kotzebue’s own food bank, with food ceasing to come in, with no guarantee of food delivery since July. Natalie Dickey, who heads our Kotzebue Church of God food bank, has described it as not being a stable safety net for Kotzebue. This is very concerning as she reports our food bank serves 3 to 5 hundred of our residents every month.
A resident brought up the importance of Iñupiat values, specifically sharing. With hyper partisan battles keeping money from coming into rural Alaska, mutual aid is becoming more important than ever, which the Iñupiat people have traditionally and to this day practice. One of our community leaders pointed out that food security starts with our subsistence, though unfortunately we cannot escape the reality of a dwindling caribou herd. Before we’ve had a limit of harvesting 5 caribou a day, now being down to 15 a year. It was also brought up that our fishing has declined as well. Moreover, there are concerns about tribal and rural representation on subsistence advisory boards within the state, with fears of rollbacks on wildlife protection.
Medicare Cuts
Another issue brought up in terms of cuts in federal spending is what is happening with our healthcare system. Alaska not only has the highest healthcare costs in the county, but also in the world! A little over 110,000 Alaskans are enrolled in Medicaid, about 15% of the population. When Congress passed its budget for this year it was billionaires that won out over America’s working class. The DOGE cuts have specifically gone after the workers in the federal government, mirroring the cuts that caused chaos in Twitter years ago. A community leader brought up the need for a Regenerative economic system, one that considers the needs of all stakeholders rather than those at the top of the hierarchy.
Threats to Democracy
The cuts in federal spending have also targeted public radio stations, which have led to fears that KOTZ Radio may have to shut down. That’s troubling as the station serves as a lifeline for the entire region. A resident brought up the difficulty in voting last year because we experienced our first Fall storm on Election Day. We’ve also seen dwindling turnout from Alaskan Natives in our elections, from being up to nearly 100% in the early 1980s to down to about 26% today. The value of going to meetings was brought up, as events like this one allows leaders to listen to the public.
Conclusion
The November 17th town hall demonstrated that the people of Kotzebue and the surrounding Northwest Arctic region are engaged, informed, and deeply concerned about the consequences of federal budget cuts on daily life. Residents, panelists, and community leaders collectively emphasized that food security, healthcare stability, and democratic participation are not abstract policy debates but pressing local realities. From the strain on our food bank and the challenges facing subsistence hunters, to the mounting pressures on Medicare recipients and the threat to our public radio lifeline, the impacts of national decisions are being felt at the most local level.
Yet the event also highlighted the strengths that define our region-mutual aid, shared responsibility, and the resilience rooted in Iñupiat values. The call for regenerative economic thinking, better representation in subsistence advisory processes, and continued civic engagement underscored a community committed not only to naming its challenges but to confronting them together. Some participants volunteered to be part of a work group to address our food bank and village food safety net problems. Others signed petitions to go to lawmakers. Protecting our way of life will require sustained advocacy, creative problem-solving, and unity across villages, generations, and organizations. This town hall was a reminder that while the pressures on rural Alaska continue to grow, so too does the determination of its people to take action and shape their future.
