Families in Michigan receiving federal food assistance benefits could see partial payments this month but it’s unclear when that will happen.
Food assistance is in limbo for 1.4 million Michiganders as the federal government shutdown enters month two. On Nov. 3, the Trump administration in a court filing, said it would make partial payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, using contingency funding, though when recipients will see benefits remains unknown. SNAP benefits were at risk for nearly 42 million Americans after the federal government said there wasn’t enough money to fund it and directed the state to pause payments for November.
Here’s what to know so far. Check back for updates.
What are the latest updates on the SNAP pause?
The Trump administration says it will make partial benefit payments to food assistance recipients in November as the federal shutdown continues, though it was far from clear when those payments would begin reaching families.
Responding to an order from a judge in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Monday, Nov. 3 said it would make partial benefit payments rather than full ones and use a contingency fund in order to cover those payments.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge John McConnell Jr. in Rhode Island ruled on Friday, Oct. 31 that SNAP benefits, which had never been cut off in any previous government shutdown, are an entitlement under the law that must be paid. He − as did another federal judge in a case in Massachusetts brought by Michigan and other states − gave the USDA until Nov. 3 to decide if it would pay partial benefits for a time by using a contingency fund of some $5 billion or supplement that with other funds to pay full benefits.
When could recipients see partial benefits?
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is waiting for additional information from the federal government on when recipients could see any benefit amounts, according to Erin Stover, a department spokesperson.
What about current benefits?
People can still use existing SNAP benefits on EBT cards from prior months, according to an FAQ posted on the MDHHS’ website.
What is SNAP?
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, is a federal program that provides benefits to low-income families to help afford food. The program is regarded as the largest anti-hunger program in the country. As of May 2025, SNAP had nearly 42 million participants across the country. In Michigan, roughly 13% of households, receive the benefits. Most people in the program are children, older adults and people with disabilities.
More than a third of SNAP households in Michigan have older adults while nearly half include children. According to MDHHS, 492,225 children benefit from the food assistance. In the 2024 fiscal year, the average Michigan household receiving SNAP benefits got about $335 a month, which breaks down to $173 per person a month, or $5.68 for each person a day. On the business front, more than 9,700 retailers accept SNAP, allowing them to redeem more than $3.6 billion in 2023 alone.
Eligibility for SNAP benefits is based on income, expenses and assets and household size. The benefits are administered by the federal government, but states determine eligibility and issue benefits. The food assistance benefits are provided on electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, cards that people can use to buy food at grocery stores and other retailers.
Why were SNAP benefits on hold in the first place?
The state received word from the federal government that there may be a delay in SNAP benefits in November because of the federal government’s shutdown.
The federal government has been shut down since funding lapsed at midnight on Oct. 1. Republicans have said they want a short-term funding agreement; Democrats say they want Congress to extend health care subsidies, set to expire Dec. 31, for plans under the Affordable Care Act. Without that extension, premiums for those plans will increase.
What will happen to November benefits if the shutdown ends?
In its FAQ, the state health and human services department said once the federal government “notifies MDHHS that we are legally allowed to release November SNAP benefits, they will be loaded onto” recipients’ EBT cards.
Is Michigan still processing SNAP redeterminations?
Yes, MDHHS said on its website that its specialists are continuing to process redeterminations and case changes.
What is the state doing?
Democrats in the Michigan House unveiled a plan Oct. 28 to appropriate $600 million in state funding toward food assistance for SNAP recipients. Their plan also proposed directing $12.5 million in state funds to the Food Bank Council of America and food pantry programs, respectively.
Bill sponsor state Rep. Tonya Myers Phillips, D-Detroit, said that the state funding for SNAP would maintain benefits through the end of the year, and called it a temporary solution. State dollars cannot replace federal funding for SNAP, she said during an Oct. 31 news conference at Capuchin Services Center, a food pantry in Detroit.
“This is unprecedented cruelty, so we shouldn’t be here,” Myers Phillips said of the federal funding lapse. But, she said Michigan lawmakers have “moral responsibility” to act.
After House Democrats put forward their plan, the Michigan Senate followed up Oct. 30 with a vote on a separate supplemental spending measure to provide funding for food assistance in the event federal funding doesn’t come through to the state.
The bill passed by the chamber would appropriate state funds for food assistance, including $50 million to blunt the impact of the SNAP pause for recipients, $10 million to distribute surplus produce and another $10 million for grants to food banks. It would also appropriate $1 million for the Double Up Food Bucks program that helps SNAP recipients buy more produce.
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, called the bill “performative” and “fake” during a news conference, saying that under the Michigan Legislature’s procedures, the chamber he leads couldn’t take it up until after the pause in SNAP benefits is slated to take effect. He also dismissed the idea that state lawmakers should fill the gap in the federally-funded food assistance program during the shutdown.
“We don’t have the resources to fill every single one of these program holes indefinitely,” he said.
To land on Whitmer’s desk, any supplemental spending measure requires approval by the Democratic-led Michigan Senate and the GOP-led Michigan House.More: What Michigan residents should know about looming November pause in SNAP benefits
A day after announcing the $4.5 million from the state to assist food banks, Whitmer Press Secretary Stacey LaRouche said in an Oct. 31 statement: “Governor Whitmer is doing everything in her power to shield Michiganders from unnecessary hardship, despite the federal government shutdown being out of her control.”
She did not specifically outline the governor’s position on a supplemental state spending measure to support SNAP.
“Ultimately, this crisis is the federal government’s to fix, and they must act swiftly to ensure Americans don’t go hungry this November,” LaRouche said.
What did President Donald Trump have to say about SNAP?
Trump told reporters Oct. 31 on his way to Palm Beach that congressional Democrats were harming their own supporters, according to CBS News.
He said SNAP recipients are “largely Democrats.”
“But I’m president, I want to help everybody. I want to help Democrats and Republicans. But when you’re talking about SNAP, if you look, it’s largely Democrats. They’re hurting their own people,” Trump said per CBS News.
While Republicans have blasted Democrats’ opposition to passing a continuing resolution to open the federal government, Democrats have condemned the Trump administration’s argument that it cannot use contingency funds to maintain SNAP benefits during the shutdown.
Following the court rulings, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social: “If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding.”
Will Head Start program meals be impacted by the SNAP pause?
No. SNAP funding and funding for free breakfast, lunch and snack in Head Start programs come from separate places, so the SNAP benefits pause will not impact children’s foods needs while they are in Head Start programming during the day, said Jennifer Jonika, executive director at Starfish Family Services, a Head Start provider in Metro Detroit.
However, the shutdown could hit Head Start programs in other ways. The funding date for nine of Michigan’s 48 Head Start programs is coming up on Nov. 1. If the federal shutdown rolls into November and these programs don’t get paid on Nov. 1, some of those programs will be forced to close temporarily until they receive their federal funding.
More: Nearly 3,000 Michigan kids at risk of losing Head Start services due to federal shutdown
How can people get help?
Food pantries: To find area food pantries and other resources, go to www.fbcmich.org/food-bank-network; pantrynet.org; www.forgottenharvest.org/find-food, or call the Michigan 211 line. Call locations ahead to confirm availibility, hours and location.
Doubling produce purchases:The Fair Food Network’s Double Up Food Bucks program, which matches purchases of fruits and vegetables using food assistance benefits up to $20 a day, has lifted the cap amid the looming pause of a federal program. Previously, shoppers could buy fresh fruits and vegetables from participating locations, up to $20 daily, and get matched dollar for dollar to double their purchasing power. Now, the match limit is unlimited.
The Fair Food Network has also lifted a 90-day limit for shoppers to use their Double Up Food Bucks meaning there’s no expiration. Additionally, shoppers can now use their Double Up Bucks to buy frozen fruits and vegetables without added sugar, salt and oil.
The Fair Food Network also announced a separate voucher, called Double Up Bonus Bucks, which offers $40 to buy frozen fruits and vegetables at participating locations and does not require a matching SNAP purchase. The Double Up Bonus Bucks expire Dec. 31.
For more information about the Double Up Food Bucks program, go to doubleupfoodbucks.org. Call the program’s hotline at 866-586-2796 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday) for questions. Find a participating location at DoubleUpFoodBucks.org/find-a-location.
What do food banks and pantries need?
Charitable organizations and the federal food benefits program are part of the safety net working to catch vulnerable families struggling to make ends meet and living paycheck to paycheck. The SNAP pause knocks down an important pillar of that system, adding pressure onto the state’s already squeezed food banks and pantries, agency leaders told the Free Press.
Here’s how to help:
- Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced a volunteer recruitment campaign to help ramp up 100 community food pantries in Detroit. The four hour shifts begin Wednesday, Nov. 5. For more information, go to detroitmi.gov and click the banner that says “Volunteer @ Food Pantry.”
- The Capuchin Services Center accepts non-perishable food items. For more information, go to www.cskdetroit.org/en/donate/donate-items/.
- The United Community Family Services is taking monetary donations because that allows the nonprofit to purchase bulk items. Go to ucfamilyservices.org/.
- Rutth Markarian, who has been running the Oak Park Gifting Pantry outside at 23400 Seneca in Oak Park, recently posted the need for more nonperishable food donations, including breakfast type-dishes side dishes, cereals, pancake mixes, syrup, canned meats and powdered milk. Go to: www.facebook.com/OakParkGiftingPantry/
- Forgotten Harvest’s most pressing need is funding to buy more food to keep up with the anticipated increase in demand. To donate, go to www.forgottenharvest.org/donate/.
- Monetary donations will help Gleaners Community Food Bank best address urgent need. To donate, go to www.gcfb.org.
- SHARE Detroit, an organization that supports metro Detroit nonprofits, has compiled a round up of volunteer opportunities. For more information, go to https://sharedetroit.org/snap.
Have questions about SNAP benefits? Reach out.
Do you have questions about the looming pause in SNAP benefits? If so, email Nushrat Rahman at nrahman@freepress.com. Reporters will try and get answers and update this story.