Michigan lawmakers took a major step to blunt the impact of the federal shutdown on food assistance Oct. 30, with the Michigan Senate voting on a supplemental spending measure to provide emergency funding for those facing a looming pause in their benefits.
Senate Bill 182 would provide $50 million to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for emergency food assistance, prioritizing those facing the “greatest level of need.” The bill received bipartisan support in the Democratic-led chamber. It will next head to the GOP-led Michigan House for consideration. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature would be required to finalize the spending plan.
“Today, in the State Senate, our Majority did our part to help,” said Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service recently directed the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to pause the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) starting in November, forcing food pantries to scramble to try to fill the gaps and state lawmakers to weigh action. Under the Michigan Senate plan, state funding could only be used if the federal food assistance funding expires. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is part of a multi-state lawsuit challenging the decision by President Donald Trump’s administration to withhold contingency funding for SNAP during the shutdown. Whitmer and Michigan lawmakers have also called on the White House to insulate SNAP during the spending showdown in Washington, D.C.
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, blasted the vote, explaining that under the Michigan Legislature’s procedure, the state House couldn’t take it up until next week after the pause in SNAP benefits is slated to take effect. “There was no way for it to be acted on in time for the need,” Hall said during an Oct. 30 news conference. He generally criticized the idea that state lawmakers should step in to fund federal benefits impacted during the shutdown. “We don’t have the resources to fill every single one of these program holes indefinitely,” he said.
Michigan receives on average $260 million a month from the federal government for the nearly 1.4 million people in the state who receive SNAP benefits, according to State Budget Office Director of Communications Lauren Leeds.
Democrats in the Michigan House of Representatives have unveiled their own plan to provide supplemental state funding for SNAP. Their bill introduced Oct. 30 would appropriate $600 million in state funding for SNAP benefits. The funds would come from previously funded state projects that have lapsed. Two separate bills would provide an additional $12.5 million to the Food Bank Council of America and food pantry programs, respectively, from the General Fund, the state’s largest pot of discretionary funding.
With the timeline for ending the federal government shutdown and its impact on SNAP benefits unclear, that funding will give philanthropy the resources it needs in case SNAP funding runs out, according to Tracy Wimmer, a spokesperson for the House Democratic Caucus.
The legislation that passed the Michigan Senate would also appropriate $10 million to MDHHS to distribute surplus produce to low-income residents in the state and another $10 million for grants to food banks. Finally, the legislation would appropriate $1 million for the Double Up Food Bucks program for SNAP recipients that helps them buy more produce.
Those opposed to the Michigan Senate’s supplemental spending measure are all Republicans: state Sen. Joe Bellino of Monroe, state Sen. Dan Lauwers of Brockway Township, Minority Leader and gubernatorial candidate Aric Nesbitt of Porter Township and state Sen. Jim Runestad of White Lake who serves as Michigan GOP chairman.
Meanwhile, Whitmer announced in a news release Oct. 30, that State Budget Office Director Jen Flood directed MDHHS to provide $4.5 million to the Food Bank Council of Michigan, a statewide organization that aims to relieve hunger.
Hall celebrated the funding, which he said comes from the recently approved state budget as a better alternative to the supplemental spending measure passed by the Michigan Senate. The money will help food banks facing increased demand, and he indicated similar funding in the future could be considered as the shutdown drags on.
Whitmer Press Secretary Stacey LaRouche has not provided comment when asked whether the governor supports a supplemental spending measure to fund SNAP with state dollars during the federal government shutdown.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
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Contact Clara Hendrickson at [email protected] or 313-296-5743.
