LANSING, Mich. — Fewer Michigan families are getting federal food aid, and the people who run the state’s food pantries say they are feeling it. State health department figures count more than 172,000 residents who have dropped off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program since last June.
Children make up a big share of that group. Close to 57,000 of the people who lost benefits are kids, and total SNAP enrollment across the state has fallen by more than 12%. As of August, roughly 1.2 million Michiganders were still using the program.
Advocates tie much of the decline to the federal budget law signed in July 2025, which added tougher work and eligibility rules. The Food Bank Council of Michigan, which runs a hotline for people trying to sign up, says calls have jumped from about a dozen a day to as many as 50.
Pantries report the same pressure from the other side of the counter. A Jackson pantry served close to 300 households in a single Sunday morning, and Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes now sees 800 to 900 people a day after a roughly 10% rise that did not ease when school started.
The state budget is also on the hook. Starting Oct. 1, Washington cut its share of SNAP administrative costs, leaving Michigan to cover 75% instead of half. The Michigan League for Public Policy puts that extra bill at about $95 million this year.
A larger shift is set for Oct. 1, 2027, when states with payment error rates of 6% or higher must start paying part of the food benefits themselves. Michigan’s rate runs between 8% and 10%, and the league estimates the state share could top $320 million a year, for a combined cost of around $415 million.
Current recipients are not seeing their monthly benefit amounts change because of the cost shift. Food banks and advocates are asking Congress to give states more time to get under the 6% error threshold.
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Filed under: Lansing MI Politics News
