Hunger isn’t inevitable. The United States has the tools to prevent it — but during this historic shutdown, millions of Americans have been left waiting to see if those tools will be used.

In Michigan, more than 1.4 million people rely on SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), to buy food each month. Most are children, seniors, or people living with disabilities.

When the federal government shutdown froze November benefits, families across the state faced growing uncertainty about how they would put food on the table.

Contingency funds released after court rulings

Late last week, two federal judges ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use 5 billion in contingency funds to continue SNAP payments.

On the Monday deadline, the Trump administration announced it would comply, but it would pay out half the amount recipients typically receive. Officials warn the solution is temporary. If the shutdown continues, December SNAP funding and other safety-net programs could again be in jeopardy.

Broader impacts across Michigan

Even with food aid partially restored, the shutdown is rippling through daily life.

• Federal workers and contractors have gone weeks without paychecks.

• Housing vouchers, heating assistance, and childcare subsidies face processing delays.

• Head Start programs risk closures in several states.

• Small-business loans, IRS services, and passport processing remain slowed or suspended 

Those disruptions can be just as destabilizing for families living close to the edge as lost food aid.

This is especially true in places like Michigan’s 12th District, which covers Detroit, Dearborn, Inkster, and downriver communities. These areas are shaped by working-class families, new immigrants, and people living paycheck to paycheck.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, representing the 12th District, joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss these reverberations.

The discussion also turned to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and how it is reshaping politics with people like New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who, like Tlaib, has been outspoken about the crisis and U.S. foreign aid priorities. His advocacy, and the movement around him, highlight a generational push inside the Democratic Party for a more value-driven, intersectional approach to policymaking, one that connects international issues to struggles faced by working class communities in cities like Detroit.

For updates or emergency food aid, residents can visit the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Food Assistance page or call 2-1-1.

Editor’s Note: This conversation aired shortly before the Trump administration announced it would comply with court order and use contingency money to fund SNAP.

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Update: Just hours after this segment aired, the Michigan Senate passed a measure that would put $71 million toward food assistance. Supporters say it wouldn’t take effect by Nov. 1 or cover all SNAP benefits, but it would help food banks bridge the gap in the meantime. The measure still needs approval from the House. (Reporting by Colin Jackson, MPRN)

The politics of food is personal, especially now.

It’s day 30 of the federal government shutdown, and key programs are grinding to a halt. One such program is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps more than 40 million Americans keep food on the table.

In Michigan, roughly 1.4 million residents rely on those benefits to stretch their grocery budgets. The federal pause means November’s payments could be delayed — a disruption that would ripple through the entire food system. Families will face the prospect of empty dinner tables, while local grocers, food co-ops, and urban farms brace for reduced spending. 

In Detroit, one person working to keep the city’s food systems healthy amid the uncertainty is Amanda Brezzell, co-founder and creative director of Fennigan’s Farms, an urban agriculture and community design studio devoted to food access, sustainability, and resilience.

Brezzell joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to describe what she’s hearing from residents and what advocates are doing in real time.

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The federal government shutdown nearing the one-month marker. Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill remain locked in a standoff over a new budget.

As a result, funding on hand to support certain government programs is running out. That includes SNAP benefits — the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services confirms that it will not be able to provide food stamps to low-income families beginning in November.

Alex Hill is project director of the Detroit Food Map Initiative, which surveys neighborhoods on grocery access. He says parts of Detroit will be especially hard hit.

“The estimated household income of houses that rely on SNAP is about $29 thousand,” says Hill, “so any household in that range is going to be having a really difficult time.”

He adds that SNAP households will feel a wide range of effects.

“People aren’t going to be able to work as well as they want to,” says Hill. “Kids aren’t going to be able to learn as well as they should. Folks who are reliant on taking medications on a regular basis — you have to take food when you take medicine.”

Hill says pausing SNAP benefits is likely to have a negative impact on grocery stores in low-income areas, that rely on customers using food stamps to shop. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services say pausing the food stamps program is likely to impact about 13% of Michigan households, with 1.4 million residents relying on the service.

A number of states around the country are suing the federal government in an attempt to support SNAP funding.

Food stamps will not be available in Michigan next month.  

The state Department of Health and Humans Services says it’s been instructed by federal officials to pause the Snap benefits program in November as a result of funding gaps caused by the ongoing federal government shutdown.  Around 13% of Michigan households rely on Snap benefits—roughly 1.4 million residents. 

In a statement, the State of Michigan said the program will remained be paused until further notice. 

Additional headlines from Thursday, October 23, 2025

Hamtramck’s former Chief Altaheri allowed to resign, collect severance pay after lawsuit

Former Police Chief of Hamtramck Jamiel Altaheri has reached an agreement with the city that allows him to resign and receive five months of his salary as severance. His resignations is being back dated to August. 

Altaheri was the first Yemeni American and Muslim police chief in the city. Tensions between Altaheri and the former city manager led to an internal investigation. Allegations against Altaheri prompted him to sue the city. 

Eventually Altaheri agreed to drop the lawsuit, and resign instead of being fired.

Honorary street sign   

Community organization Dream of Detroit is asking for support from residents to get an honorary street sign for Imam Abdullah Bey El-Amin on the corner of Davison Street and Woodrow Wilson Street on Detroit’s west side. 

 El-Amin was a prominent faith leader in Detroit and co-founder of the Muslim Center of Detroit. He died in March of 2023. Dream of Detroit is asking residents to give messages of support to city council at their next formal session, Tuesday October 28.  

Michigan Starters Coalition seeks to remove barriers for new entrepreneurs 

An entrepreneurial advocacy group Right to Start is launching the Michigan Starters Coalition. It’s a statewide initiative promoting entrepreneurship as a civic priority.

The group aims to educate lawmakers about removing barriers to starting and growing a business and increasing public awareness about how starting new businesses drives economic growth. To learn more visit righttostart.org/michiganstarters 

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Updated 12:00 p.m. ET, Friday, October 3, 2025.

Funding for arts and culture grants in Michigan is preserved in the state budget for fiscal year 2026.

Last week, Governor Whitmer, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks and House Speaker Matt Hall announced they had agreed on a framework for the state budget and it would be passed before October 1. The state budget was passed early Friday morning, with state funding for arts and culture grants preserved.

Last month’s budget proposal passed by the Republican-led State House eliminated all funding for arts and culture grants from the state.

The entity that administers arts and culture grants for the state is the Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC). In 2025, MACC grants awarded totaled over $10.5 million.

The council distributes grant funds to arts and culture programs throughout the state, providing funding for things like K-12 arts programs, cultural festivals and museums.

To better understand what arts and culture grants from the state fund, Cary Junior II spoke with Lauren Ward, director of the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan. They spoke on Thursday, before the final state budget had been passed for fiscal year 2026.

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