LANSING, Mich., Oct. 28, 2025 — House Democrats announced legislation today aimed at protecting food access for the 1.4 million Michiganders at risk of losing it this Saturday due to the Republican shutdown of the federal government. Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered state departments administering the program to pause SNAP benefits due to the ongoing shutdown beginning Nov. 1, jeopardizing the ability to eat for millions of families, veterans, seniors and kids across the state.

 

“I and other Democratic House members are deeply concerned about the imminent risk of 1.4 million Michiganders facing hunger,” said state Representative Tonya Myers Phillips (D-Detroit). “The Trump Administration and Washington Republicans are jeopardizing the food security and well-being of people — families, seniors and those with disabilities — who rely on SNAP benefits. This is not just unacceptable, it’s inhumane. The provision of food should not be a political issue. As state lawmakers, we must quickly collaborate with our constituents, nonprofit and faith-based food providers, and retailers to ensure Michiganders have access to adequate food, especially as we approach the winter season and the holidays, while food prices continue to rise. This is why I am introducing legislation to provide food to vulnerable people and support food banks and pantries in this time of crisis.”

 

The five-bill package would:
  • Securing Fresh Food Access (Myers Phillips): Creates a $600 million emergency supplemental for food assistance to SNAP recipients. This “SNAP Fund” will use project lapses to backfill the federal funding loss and allow the program to remain temporarily operational.
  • Keeping Food Banks Stocked (Coffia): Provide an additional $12.5 million (GF/GP) supplemental for the Food Bank Council of America.
  • Keeping Food on the Table (Edwards): Provide an additional $12.5 million (GF/GP) supplemental for food pantry programs to help those facing food insecurity.
  • Call to Action (State Rep. Denise Mentzer, D-Mt. Clemens):A resolution to urge President Donald J. Trump, the United States Congress, and the United States Department of Agriculture to immediately reopen the federal government or, at minimum, ensure the continued and uninterrupted distribution of SNAP benefits as the Nov. 1 cutoff approaches.

 

“When a single mom is already working three jobs and still can’t afford groceries, or a senior citizen is on such a fixed income they have to ration their food as they await their next Social Security check, something in our society is profoundly broken,” said state Rep. Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City). “The SNAP program is a critical lifeline for the most vulnerable in our state, bridging the gap between what those who are struggling can afford, and what they need to live. If we can bail out Argentina for $40 billion, which is what President Trump is currently doing with our tax dollars, we can make sure Americans don’t go hungry. There is absolutely no reason, other than cruelty, for Trump and the Republicans who control our federal government not to fund this program. In the absence of their leadership, we’re taking action.”

 

“Costs keep rising for everything from healthcare to electricity, and so more and more people are struggling to get by,” said state Rep. Kimberly Edwards (D-Eastpointe). “For millions of Michiganders, the SNAP program provides the small amount of relief needed to take one financial worry off their plate, and put food on it instead. As state legislators there are limits to what we can do to offset the impact a Republican-controlled federal government has on Michigan, but whatever those limits may be, we have a responsibility to reach them. Food is one of our most basic human needs, and taking access to it away from 1.4 million Michiganders is unconscionable. We have an obligation to try every option available to stop this from happening.”

 

###

 

Full fact sheet is available here: House Dems Taking Action for SNAP Fact Sheet.