State and local officials are pleading with policymakers to find a way to fund food assistance in the wake of the federal government shutdown.
That’s as the U.S. Department of Agriculture is telling states to pause Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, payments next month. The department claims there’s not enough money available to cover benefits.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said that’s a lie. She, along with other Democratic state attorneys general, are suing the USDA.
Nessel said the federal government has emergency funds set aside for this scenario that it should be using.
“There is no reason for people who are eligible to receive SNAP benefits to not receive it. That is the exact reason for this contingency fund. And so, I think that the Trump administration is playing with people’s lives here,” Nessel said during a press conference in Lansing Wednesday.
According to the lawsuit, Congress set aside $3 billion in 2024, and another $3 billion this year for, “such times as may become necessary to carry out program operations.”
The USDA, however, said it can’t legally use those funds to cover SNAP expenses next month.
“SNAP contingency funds are only available to supplement regular monthly benefits when amounts have been appropriated for, but are insufficient to cover, benefits. The contingency fund is not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists,” an information document provided by a department spokesperson said.
The USDA said the simplest way to get SNAP payments out would be an end to the government shutdown.
Despite that, a plan the department issued in late September, before the federal government shutdown, seemed to state otherwise. It cited a general counsel letter that said, “Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown.”
Democrats in both the Michigan Legislature and Michigan’s congressional delegation are urging the USDA to follow that advice.
U.S. Representative Kristen McDonald-Rivet (D-MI 8) sits on the House Agriculture Committee. She said she doesn’t have much hope that lawmakers will find an agreement to end the shutdown any time soon, as House members remain away from Washington D.C.
“It’s a lot of game playing. But this isn’t a game to people. We have seniors, people with disabilities; 40% of people on SNAP are children. We need to make sure people can eat,” McDonald-Rivet said in an interview this week.
Locally, food non-profits and elected leaders are worrying about what will happen next month if neither the federal government or state step up.
Democratic Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said there’s only so much that local food non-profits and others can do to replace that missing money.
“We are going to step up for our residents but none of that can match the power of the federal government and dollars that come from the SNAP program. So, we need this lawsuit to be successful, we need the government to be issuing these dollars,” Schor said.
