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MICHIGAN — While state officials in Michigan have issued full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to hundreds of thousands of residents, further payments are back on pause. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is complying with an emergency stay issued by the U.S. Supreme Court Friday, Nov. 7, MDHHS officials announced in a release. The emergency stay temporarily blocks an order to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service to issue November SNAP benefits for about 42 million low-income Americans. The Supreme Court granted President Donald Trump’s emergency appeal, the AP reports. “To comply with the court’s ruling, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is required to direct its SNAP EBT vendor to pause issuing SNAP benefit payments to Michigan recipients,” MDHHS officials said in a release issued shortly after midnight. “November benefits that have not yet been issued will remain paused until the courts or USDA take further action to allow MDHHS to resume payment,” officials said. This reversal comes after a U.S. District judge in Rhode Island ruled Thursday, Nov. 6, that the Trump administration had until Friday to make full payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and some states began to pay out those benefits. Thursday night, MDHHS issued full benefits to over 200,000 households whose benefits are typically provided on the third, fifth or seventh of each month, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement late Friday night. Friday night’s Supreme Court decision will now halt future full benefits for the other 1.2 million recipients from being distributed for an unknown period, Nessel said. “We are disappointed by the federal government’s continued efforts to prevent SNAP benefits from reaching the Michigan residents who rely on them,” Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director, said in a statement. “Taking this matter all the way to the Supreme Court creates uncertainty, confusion, and frustration. Worse than that, it punishes the more than one million Michigan residents who qualify for and rely on their benefits to put food on the table,” Hertel said. According to last year’s numbers, the average eligible household in Michigan receives $335 in monthly SNAP benefits. SNAP recipients are encouraged to reach out to their local MDHHS office with any questions regarding SNAP benefits or they can check MI Bridges for updates. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the state is providing $4.5 million to the Food Bank Council of Michigan to help feed and provide food delivery to residents across the state. The state is also continuing Double Up Food Bucks, a program that helps families purchase groceries, including fresh fruits and vegetables, officials said. The state also supports Hunters Feeding Families, a program that supplies venison or other fresh game to Michigan families. Free breakfast and lunch programs in public schools will continue. According to the AP, at least nine states had already begun issuing full SNAP benefits under the direction the USDA gave on Thursday. In addition to Michigan, those states are Wisconsin, Oregon, Hawaii, California, Kansas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington.
