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If you are confused about what’s happening to stave off the impact of a cutoff of federal food assistance to families across Michigan, it’s not just you.
Efforts by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and a divided Legislature to get in front of the crisis have been muddled at best, and it’s not really clear who’s working with whom to find a fix.
This is a universal challenge because hunger exists in every legislative district in Michigan.
There is not, however, a coordinated sense of how to deal with the sudden suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Leaders at the Michigan Capitol have announced and passed a somewhat confusing patchwork of stopgap measures this week to “solve” the problem that 1.4 million Michiganders will be cut off of federal food-assistance beginning tomorrow because of the continued government shutdown in D.C.
Democrats in the Michigan House, who are in the minority, started the week with a $600 million food assistance proposal. While noteworthy, it was not going to pass the Republican-controlled chamber.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats proposed setting up a fund managed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to help backfill the missing federal funds. On Thursday, the Senate passed a $71 million proposal. Republican Senators decried it in floor speeches before the vote but, in the end, it passed with a bipartisan 27-4 vote that sent the bill to the House.
But, shortly after the vote, Whitmer sent out a release announcing a different direction. The announcement quoted her, her budget director and… Republican Hall. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks’ voice was absent in the release.
Hall then held a press conference calling the plan the Senate had passed “performative.” That’s because, under technical rules, the legislation the upper chamber passed wouldn’t be allowed to be voted on in the House for at least five days.
Then, lawmakers left Lansing for the week.
So, at this point, everyone can say they did something.
House Democrats say they proposed a plan (one that won’t pass the GOP House).
Senate Democrats say they passed their plan (but it can’t even be voted on for days).
Senate Republicans (at least some of them) can say they voted for something (even if they maligned it beforehand).
And Whitmer and House Republicans, led by Hall, well, they have a plan. But it’s only $4.5 million dollars. And it’s temporary.
Their solution is to tap into an existing pot of money to direct a short-term infusion of funds to food banks. Having the cash on hand to do that is kind of a lucky break in an environment where we’re not seeing a lot of that.
But the Whitmer-Hall plan going forward appears to be a scramble every couple of weeks to find more pots of money to pass stop-gap funding bills until the crisis is past.
Stuff flows downhill, the saying (sort of) goes as the budget standoff in D.C. devolves to the states to manage.
Digging deeper: To help address the looming hunger crisis, a House resolution is also calling on the Michigan Natural Resources Commission (MNRC) to call an early start to the firearm deer hunting season so it lasts the entirety of November. The purpose is to allow hunters to donate venison to food banks under the existing Hunters Feeding Michigan program. There’s now no time for the MNRC to act before November 1, which falls on Saturday.
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Have questions about Michigan politics? Or, just want to let us know what you want more of (less of?) in the newsletter? We always want to hear from you! Shoot us an email at politics@michiganpublic.org!
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What we’re talking about at the dinner table
“The 9 Bills” appeal: Michigan Republican House Speaker Matt Hall says he will appeal the Michigan Court of Appeals’ ruling this week that the nine bills adopted in the Legislature’s last session must be sent to Governor Gretchen Whitmer for her to sign or veto. As IJP newsletter readers know, these are the nine bills that the Democrat-controlled Legislature passed last year, but were not transmitted to the governor’s office before Republicans took control of the House in January. After Hall ordered the House clerk to hold onto the bills, the Democrat-led Senate sued. Michigan Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel ruled this spring that the House must present the bills to the governor but, citing separation of powers, her ruling did not order the House to do so. This week the Court of Appeals agreed with Patel’s ruling that the Michigan Constitution requires all bills adopted by the House and Senate must go to the governor, but the court also ruled the judiciary can order the House to send them. The Michigan Supreme Court (which has a 6-1 majority of justices nominated by the Democratic Party) does not have to take the case and may want to simply let stand the appeals decision (and its assertion of judicial power) or the justices may want to hear the case to stamp finality on the issue.
Pausing Pot Tax: Michigan’s legal marijuana industry association has asked a judge to put the brakes on implementing a new wholesale tax on marijuana while a legal challenge is underway. The motion for an injunction filed with the Michigan Court of Claims is an early step in a legal process that could take months to play out. The new tax to raise money for roads is supposed to begin in January. The Michigan Cannabis Industry Association says it violates the Michigan Constitution and the voter-initiated-and-approved recreational marijuana law because it was not passed with supermajorities in the Legislature. If the challenge succeeds, it blows a major hole in the road funding plan adopted by the Legislature and signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
No-show at GOP Forum: Half a dozen Republicans running to be the GOP nominee for governor met in west Michigan Tuesday evening for a Michigan Republican Party-sponsored forum. “Six of the seven invited candidates attended. Congressman John James (R-MI 10), an early frontrunner in next fall’s race, did not show,” Michigan Public Radio Network’s Colin Jackson reports. A spokesperson for the James’ campaign told Colin, “James is the favorite to become Michigan’s next governor. James will consider a primary debate once the field is set and will be speaking directly to Michiganders in the meantime.”
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Yours in political nerdiness,
Rick Pluta & Zoe Clark
Co-hosts, It’s Just Politics
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IJP ON THE ROAD
Zoe joined Michigan Public Television’s Off the Record this week. The guest was Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who is also running for Michigan open U.S. Senate seat in 2026.
