For Immediate Release
January 9, 2019
Contact:
Alex Rossman
arossman@mlpp.org
LANSING—The Michigan League for Public Policy issued the following statement on the federal government shutdown and its impending threats to Michiganders and Americans. It can be attributed to President and CEO Gilda Z. Jacobs.
“Last night, our president used a false crisis to paper over the real one he and Congress are currently causing for millions of Americans by shutting down the federal government and the services it provides. The shutdown has created widespread ambiguity and confusion, and if elected officials, government employees or advocacy organizations don’t have a clear picture of what’s at risk and when, how can we expect our residents to feel safe and secure?
“Food assistance is vital to hundreds of thousands of Michiganders to put food on their tables and prevent their families from going hungry, and right now they are on a ticking clock. It’s also unclear how long school lunches and breakfasts and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and other important federal nutrition programs can keep running as their federal funding dries out. Federal housing and rental subsidies are being jeopardized by the shutdown, putting people at risk of losing their place to live at the coldest time of the year. Residents who are expecting to receive the Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit refund still face uncertainty and potential long refund delays, because even with operational assurances from the IRS, there’s still significant concern around how timely the tax return and refund verification process will be due to shortages of IRS staff. And these threats from the shutdown are in addition to the hundreds of thousands of government workers whose own livelihoods are on hold and their families at risk—including more than 6,000 here in Michigan.
“Meanwhile, an immediate and effective solution that would stop all this hardship is languishing in the U.S. Senate. The U.S. House passed a funding solution that would reopen our government and the services it provides and separate it from the border wall discussion completely, and they plan to pass individual funding bills today for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, IRS and National Parks Service to stop holding those programs and the people who depend on them hostage for the president’s petulant and partisan agenda. The Senate passed these very same bills overwhelmingly before the holidays, so there is no reason for them to keep refusing to take them up again. The president and lawmakers in Washington must stop playing politics with people’s lives and end this shutdown immediately.”
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The Michigan League for Public Policy, www.mlpp.org, is a nonprofit policy institute focused on economic opportunity for all. It is the only state-level organization that addresses poverty in a comprehensive way.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Jacob Kaplan 
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Donald Stuckey 
Patrick Schaefer
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Amber Bellazaire joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a policy analyst in June of 2019. Her work primarily focuses on state policy and budgets affecting Michigan’s Medicaid programs. Previously, Amber worked at the National Conference of State Legislatures tracking legislation and research related to injury and violence prevention, adolescent health, and maternal and child health. She also brings with her two years of Americorps service. As a full time volunteer, Amber had the opportunity to tutor high school students in Chelsea, Massachusetts and address issues of healthcare access and food insecurity through in-person outreach in Seattle, Washington.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Its like being in Elementary school classroom and the teacher gets called to the Principals office. Whos minding the classroom??? Utter chaos!!! Trumpmailed!!!!