This column originally appeared in Michigan Advance
With the Michigan Legislature’s contentious Lame Duck session, Congress’ stalemate on the federal budget, and a looming government shutdown, it’s hard to remember that government is supposed to be about compromise.
But as all that controversial partisanship played out last week, we saw a bit of bipartisan agreement: Congress worked together to pass the 2018 Farm Bill. And Michigan workers and families will reap the benefits.
The Farm Bill supports Michigan’s farmers and agriculture, our second-largest industry. But it will generate significant economic activity and job growth far beyond the farms and fields, benefiting equipment manufacturers, food processing companies, retailers and many other businesses and workers across Michigan.
A lot of lawmakers put policy before party and worked hard on this compromise, but Michiganders have one in particular we should thank. U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) has always been a strong voice for Michigan farmers. And families, and as the ranking Senate Democrat on the Farm Bill conference committee, her leadership and experience were pivotal in developing a bipartisan, palatable and passable piece of legislation.
This compromise on the Farm Bill is huge, in part because the Farm Bill itself is huge.
Don’t let the name fool you. In addition to supporting our farmers, it covers an array of important funding programs to address the needs of Michigan residents. The bill provides healthy food for our families by keeping our fruit and vegetable crops growing and it protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The Farm Bill also goes a long way toward protecting Michigan’s Great Lakes, investing in our small towns and rural communities, promoting forestry in the state, and supporting local food economies.
But this victory on the Farm Bill is most significant because it was dangerously close to being a major defeat. A much different version of the legislation could have come out of Congress, and hundreds of thousands of Michigan families would have suffered because of it.
Since the 2016 election, some Republicans in the U.S. House — and in the Michigan Legislature, for that matter — have been targeting the people who are struggling the most. Lawmakers have been looking at every policy and procedural move in the book to make things harder for workers and families in poverty. And unfortunately, the Farm Bill was no different.
After much cajoling within their own caucus, U.S. House Republicans passed a Farm Bill that included harmful and unnecessary work requirements for SNAP recipients, as well as massive cuts that would have led to more than 2 million people being kicked off of this vital nutrition program and children losing their school lunches.
Thankfully, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan, common-sense Farm Bill that protected food assistance and other essential programs for Michigan families. And then when the two competing Farm Bills went to conference committee to iron out the differences and negotiations went on for months, the House Democrats and a bipartisan Senate — including Stabenow — stayed strong in standing up for SNAP. That ensured it was protected in the final bill.
Poverty shouldn’t be politicized, as it affects our state’s rural areas as much as its cities. We are glad that cooler heads prevailed and fewer people will go hungry because of the Farm Bill, not more.
SNAP has long had bipartisan support, and we commend House and Senate negotiators for continuing that tradition by working together, across party lines, to protect food assistance in the final Farm Bill agreement. The final Farm Bill ensures that SNAP will continue to help feed children and their parents, seniors, people with disabilities and working people with low pay and inconsistent hours who struggle to make ends meet, including one in seven people right here in Michigan.
As any good farmer will tell you, the work is never done. We may have succeeded in protecting SNAP in the Farm Bill, but President Donald Trump is not going to give up on passing destructive SNAP work requirements.
The Michigan League for Public Policy will continue to fight against all attacks on SNAP or other state or federal efforts to make it harder for people in poverty to get by, and we hope you’ll join us in doing the same.
But for now, let’s thank Sen. Stabenow for her great work and savor this bipartisan cooperation while we can.
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
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. 
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
