Mashantuckets’ Butler: ‘Our Community Needs Us’

As the federal government shutdown makes its mark as the longest in history, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is raising a challenge to those who can help the people most affected by cuts to federal assistance.

“Our community needs us,” said Mashantucket Pequot tribal chair Rodney Butler at the St. Vincent de Paul Place soup kitchen in Norwich Nov. 3.

“We have the luxury of being able to weather the storm, many folks in our community don’t, so those of us who have that luxury ought to share that.”

Butler took the opportunity to encourage more community support across the state as he presented a $25,000 donation to the shelter—part of the Mashantuckets’ annual giving campaign.

Since 1992, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has contributed over $100 million in donations and sponsorships to local charities and social service organizations.

Putting dollars into communities directly impacted by the federal funding shutoff is very important at this time, and the Mashantuckets will be doing more to step up, too, Butler said in a recent media report.  

Funding for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ended Nov. 1, putting almost 42 million Americans in danger of food insecurity.

Following two court orders, however, the U.S. government has confirmed it will release enough money in November to pay for half of the SNAP benefits it funds monthly.

The federal shutdown—which has lasted more than a month—has affected the SNAP program because Congress has not appropriated new funds for it.