Food assistance to be delayed in Michigan amid federal shutdown

Originally Posted in The Detroit News by Melissa Nann Burke, Anne Snabes, and Max Bryan

Food benefits for 1.4 million Michiganians will be delayed in November due to a lack of sufficient funding during the federal government shutdown, state officials said Thursday, prompting criticism and concern from public officials across Metro Detroit.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which operates the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has directed Michigan officials to hold off on issuing November’s SNAP payments and ongoing benefits “until further notice,” according to a statement by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

In the fourth week of the shutdown, the communication from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service to the state said there will be limited funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for 42 million individuals across the U.S. The program covers nearly 13% of households or 1.4 million people in Michigan, 43% of whom are families with children, according to state data.

Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said she was “strongly disappointed by the USDA’s decision to delay this assistance, and in Michigan, we will do what we can to help blunt this impact.”

“The impact of households losing SNAP benefits will be felt around the state,” Hertel said in a statement.

“SNAP is more than a food assistance program; it’s a lifeline for many Michigan families. It helps families put nutritious food on the table, supports local farmers and grocers, and strengthens our communities and economy.”

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters at the White House last week that the program was on track to run out of funds on Nov. 1.
“You’re talking about millions and millions of vulnerable families, of hungry families that are not going to have access to these programs because of this shutdown,” Rollins said.

On social media, President Donald Trump’s agriculture secretary blamed Democrats, saying that they put “their political agenda ahead of food security for American families. Shameful.”

Other states, including Texas, Pennsylvania, New York and Minnesota, had been warning in recent days that SNAP payments for November were in jeopardy or could be delayed. The program has historically been federally funded, but it’s administered by the states.

Some states have stopped new SNAP enrollments, but Michigan’s human services agency indicated Thursday that the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service has advised that households should continue submitting applications. Officials also said specialists will continue to process SNAP redeterminations and case changes.

It’s unclear how long SNAP payments could be delayed in Michigan. Last year, SNAP brought over $3 billion to the state, with Michigan’s benefits typically issued between the 1st and 21st of the month, depending on the recipient’s Social Security number.

“Families in our community rely on SNAP to put food on the table; that’s what makes this delay so frustrating and concerning,” said state Rep. Ron Robinson, R-Utica, in a statement.

Macomb County Commissioner Michael Howard, a Warren Democrat whose district includes Center Line and part of Warren, called the delay in benefits “completely immoral.”

“The president is playing games with people’s ability to put food on their table because he wants a budget passed that’s going to strip away their health care,” Howard said of Trump.

He was referring to credits for low- and middle-income people who get health insurance through the marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act that expire at the end of the year.

Democrats in Congress said they won’t vote to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate an extension of the expanded subsidies. Trump and Republicans won’t negotiate the issue until Democrats vote to reopen the government.

Howard said the delay in food benefits is going to “directly cause harm” to Warren residents, as Michigan’s third-most populous city has some of the most food-insecure communities in Macomb County. He said when he was younger, his family used food stamps.

“And so for me, this isn’t just political,” Howard said. “This is personal. … You’re playing with people’s ability to eat, and that’s just not right.”

The average SNAP household in Michigan last year got $335 in SNAP benefits a month, or $173 per person per month, or $5.68 per person per day, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Participants receive benefits on prepaid cards that they can use for groceries.

SNAP does maintain a contingency fund of about $6 billion, but November benefits are expected to total around $8 billion, according to CNN.

Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, a Democrat, said cutting off SNAP benefits is “devastating,” noting that more than 44,000 households in Michigan’s second-most-populous county rely on the taxpayer aid.

“Our local food banks, such as Gleaners and Food Gatherers, are already stretched thin,” Coulter said. “We’re grateful that our leaders in Lansing continue to provide free school meals to families, which eases the burden. It’s nowhere near enough, however, to replace the critical support SNAP provides.”

Food pantries brace for demand

Macomb County Health Officer Andrew Cox said Macomb Community Action, which is part of the county government, has a distribution center that supplies food to 77 food pantries in the county.

With a long-term pause to SNAP benefits, “we would probably expect to see increased demand to those food pantries that we have,” Cox said.

Gleaners Community Food Bank is already seeing a 10% increase in demand over last year, but was not seeing an immediate influx into its partners or community mobile units Thursday, spokeswoman Kristin Sokul said.

“Typically, when resources like this change, we don’t see an immediate reaction, because households budget for what they’re already used to as opposed to what’s eliminated,” Sokul said. “We are preparing for the likelihood for increased requests for support. And so we are already mobilizing to address near-term increases in demand.”

The Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency said Thursday it was monitoring the situation and preparing to respond to an expected increase in need.

“Our team is compiling an updated list of food banks and pantries and continues to refer residents to our local partner food pantry to help bridge any temporary food gaps caused by the delay,” Chief Programs Officer Shama Mounzer said in a statement.

“This federal funding pause will likely increase food insecurity among low-income families, seniors and households with children, many of whom rely on SNAP to keep food on the table and cover other basic expenses, such as rent and utilities.”

Earlier this month, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children got an infusion of $300 million from the White House to help keep the program going through Oct. 31 during the shutdown.