Capitol News

Michigan Senate Democrats have approved $71 million in emergency funding to support food access for 1.4 million residents, including children, veterans, and seniors who are affected by the ongoing federal government shutdown. The legislation aims to extend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits beyond November 1 and provide additional resources for food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, and related organizations.

Senate Bill 182 allocates $50 million to create an Emergency Assistance Fund within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. This fund is intended to help low-income households maintain access to food during the disruption in federal SNAP funding. Another $10 million will go to the Michigan Food Bank Council’s Agricultural Surplus System, which is experiencing increased demand due to the interruption in SNAP benefits, particularly in rural areas. Local food pantries and community providers will receive $10 million to strengthen their capacity during this period. An additional $1 million is set aside for the Double Up Food Bucks program, supporting families who rely on food assistance to purchase Michigan-grown produce.

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said: “Food for more than a million of our fellow Michiganders — kids, families, people with disabilities, veterans, seniors — is being blocked by federal Republicans’ self-made political crisis and their valuing of billionaires over our most vulnerable. For all of us in public service, this should be a call for compassion and a call to action. Today, in the State Senate, our Majority did our part to help. But President Trump and federal Republicans can use the same power that created this emergency to end it — releasing SNAP funds immediately and ending the shutdown before the impacts get even worse.”

Senator Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) added: “Every single day, the Trump administration launches a new attack on working families, and our state does not have the financial means or the ability to fix every single problem coming out of D.C. What we’re doing today with this funding is not a permanent fix, but we have a responsibility to provide for the people of this state. We will keep fighting for as long as we can, with the resources we have, for the people we serve. And it’s time for Republicans in Washington and in the Michigan House of Representatives to do the same and stand up for what is right instead of playing political games with people’s lives.”

Senator Sylvia Santana (D-Dearborn) stated: “Today, we are taking swift action to ensure that families across Michigan don’t go without nutritional meals this November. While partisan politics in D.C. are keeping food away from our people, the leaders in this chamber are doing the right thing to support SNAP recipients and food providers.”

The Senate also passed a resolution urging President Trump’s administration and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to release available contingency reserves already authorized by Congress so that SNAP benefits can continue.

According to recent communication from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service cited by state officials last week, Michigan was instructed not to issue November SNAP benefits until further notice because of lapsed federal funding caused by one of America’s longest government shutdowns. This affects 527,620 children—about 23% of all children statewide—and roughly 39,000 veterans.

Rural communities are expected to face greater challenges due to higher rates of poverty and food insecurity; 26 out of Michigan's 30 counties with highest SNAP usage are rural counties. The loss or delay of SNAP dollars also impacts local economies by reducing spending at small grocers and farmers markets.