SNAP Cuts Could Cost Michigan $900 Million: 'Unacceptable'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Budget officials in Michigan have reported that federal food assistance spending cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would cost Michigan approximately $900 million.
The budget bill, passed by the House of Representatives in May and being considered by the Senate currently, exceeds 1,000 pages and contains some of the most significant changes to food stamp eligibility and benefits in recent years. Some $290 billion is earmarked to be cut from the nation's largest anti-poverty program via tightening eligibility, shifting program costs to states and limiting future benefit increases.
Why It Matters
Around 15 percent of Michigan's population—nearly 1.5 million residents—relies on SNAP benefits to help them purchase essential groceries. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, more than 59 percent of SNAP participants in the Great Lakes State are in families with children, and 39 percent are in families with older adults or are disabled.
What To Know
The State Budget Office (SBO) memo, prepared in consultation with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), concluded that the state likely would not be able to cover the food assistance cuts without severely harming funding for education, public safety and Medicaid.
Stock image/file photo: Customer entering a grocery store.
Stock image/file photo: Customer entering a grocery store.
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The SBO also said there would be a knock-on effect on businesses in Michigan. In the 2024 fiscal year, it reported $3.2 billion in SNAP benefits "supported almost 10,000 retailers across the state, paying grocery stores, farmers markets, and other businesses in Michigan and contributing to local economies," saying that federal cuts would be "devastating."
Michigan is not the first state to outline the significant financial impact Republican plans could have on state finances. In late May, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said the state would lose some $314 million in food assistance if President Trump's bill comes to pass.
What People Are Saying
Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement on Wednesday: "In Michigan, we will fight to make sure our kids and families are fed, but we need Republicans in our congressional delegation to step up for their own constituents who need SNAP and Medicaid to survive. If these cuts are signed into law, more Michiganders will go to bed with a pit in their stomach. That's unacceptable."
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, reported in March: "Mandating that states pay even a small share of SNAP food benefit costs would hit state budgets hard at a time when many states are facing revenue downturns. States are not in a position to absorb these substantial additional costs. In fiscal year 2024, tax revenue fell in 40 states after adjusting for inflation, and many states are projecting budget shortfalls in the short and long term."
President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will "make sure SNAP is focused on Americans ONLY!"
What Happens Next
The legislation moves to the GOP-controlled Senate this week, where potential changes to the bill will be considered.
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