Copyright M Live Michigan
Michigan resumed full payments of November food assistance benefits to families and residents Monday, state officials announced. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in the state who receive their benefits on the ninth of the month should receive their full SNAP allotment within 48 hours, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) officials said Monday afternoon, Nov. 10. Those who receive monthly benefits on the third, fifth and seventh of the month received full November benefits last week. All other SNAP recipients should receive full benefit payments on their normally scheduled date, MDHHS officials said. “We are glad to be able to provide assistance to Michigan families to help them put food on the table,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “The uncertainty, confusion and frustration caused by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s request to block SNAP payments for the more than one million Michigan residents who rely on food assistance has been unfair, and in Michigan, we will continue to do everything we can to help those affected.” The resumption of full November benefits to Michigan residents follows a whiplash federal legal battle that hasn’t fully resolved. The state could risk facing financial penalties from the Trump administration. MDHHS spokespersons Erin Stover and Lynn Sutfin did not respond Monday to repeated attempts for comment. SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, provides food assistance to lower-income residents. Nearly 1.4 million Michiganders, including 492,000 children, rely on SNAP benefits to buy groceries. Those benefits have been threatened by the ongoing federal shutdown. The Associated Press reported Monday that lawmakers are moving closer to a vote on legislation to end the shutdown, which has stretched on for 41 days. It has been the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. President Donald Trump’s administration was sued by states, including Michigan, in a bid to require the USDA to use contingency funds to fund full SNAP benefits for November amid the shutdown. After a federal court ruling Thursday ordered full funding of SNAP benefits, some states, including Michigan, began disbursing them. However, that was cut short when Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson late Friday put that court order on hold pending an appeal. Attorney General Dana Nessel said about 200,000 Michigan residents received SNAP benefits during that brief window. During the benefits pause over the weekend, the Trump administration demanded that states “undo” full benefits paid during the one-day window, according to a USDA memo. The memo warns that states could face financial penalties if they don’t comply. Enforcement of that memo was temporarily blocked Sunday by a federal judge, according to NBC News. A federal appeals court late Sunday upheld the order to allow disbursement of full SNAP benefits for November. The Supreme Court’s order gives the federal government at least 48 hours from the appeals ruling before full benefits have to be paid out, the Associated Press reported. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the situation Tuesday, the AP reported.
