THE STAKES ARE HIGH FOR MICHIGAN
The Cost of the Federal Republican Megabill:
FOOD ASSISTANCE
National Impact
The OBBBA cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $186 billion (20%) through 2034 — the largest cut in SNAP history.
- OBBBA forces massive costs onto states and blocks access to benefits with more red tape.
- Cuts primarily affect seniors and families with children.
- Cuts are achieved by:
- Increasing states’ share of administrative costs from 50% to 75%, effective Oct. 1, 2026.
- Establishing a state cost share for SNAP benefits, effective Oct. 1, 2027 — requires each state to pay 5%-15% of benefits based on state’s payment error rate.
- Expands harsh and ineffective work requirement/time limit to nondisabled people ages 55-64 and nondisabled parents/caregivers of children 14 years old and older.*
- Eliminates work requirement/time limit exemptions for veterans, unhoused people and youth aging out of foster care.*
- Makes it more difficult for states to waive the work requirement/time limit in areas of high unemployment.*
- Takes food assistance away from most lawfully present immigrants unless they are U.S. citizens or green card holders.*
- Prohibits future SNAP benefit increases outside of inflation adjustments, regardless of changes to nutrition standards and purchasing patterns.
- Eliminates all funding for SNAP-Ed, a program that connects SNAP families and schools to nutrition education, resources, and services, effective Oct. 1, 2025.
*Under the bill, these provisions take effect immediately, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture has not yet issued guidance on implementation to states. Thus, these provisions have not actually been put into practice yet.
Repercussions for Michigan
- According to the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, the state will face new annual costs of around $410 million, depending on caseloads: $90 million for the increased administrative cost share and $320 million for the new benefit cost share.
- That’s more than the state spends on psychiatric hospitals (see p. 126, sec. 112, Gross Appropriation), child support enforcement (see p. 122, sec. 103, Gross Appropriation), or the entire Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (see p. 298, Gross Appropriation).
- Most states, including Michigan, will not be able to absorb such massive costs and will be faced with difficult choices:
- Finding new revenue by raising taxes or cutting other services.
- Narrowing eligibility criteria and creating new red tape to make benefits harder to access.
- Opting out of SNAP altogether, if they cannot make their full required cost share.
- An estimated 74,000 Michigan adults will be at risk of losing SNAP benefits because of the expanded work requirement: 39,000 ages 55-64, and 35,000 with children 14 years old and older. (See Table 1)
- 123,000 people live in Michigan households at risk of losing at least some SNAP benefits due to the expanded work requirement.
- In the coming years, the extension of the work requirement to older adults could have a significant impact in Michigan, one of the fastest aging states in the nation. Populations in the northern part of the state tend to be older than those downstate.
- The SNAP cuts will shrink Michigan’s economy, impacting thousands of businesses and jobs across the state.
- SNAP benefits pump about $3 billion a year into Michigan’s economy, with many of those dollars staying local.
- SNAP benefits provide revenue for more than 9,200 Michigan retailers, including grocery stores, farmers markets and convenience stores.
- Annually, SNAP supports:
- More than 13,000 jobs in grocery and supporting industries like agriculture and transportation.
- $1 billion in wages for workers in grocery and supporting industries.
- $148 million in annual local, state and federal tax revenue.
- Nearly $2 billion in total economic output.
- Taking SNAP benefits away from families will harm their health and increase health care costs.
- Michigan already faces $1.8 billion a year in additional, unnecessary health care costs due to hunger (see p. 13).
- The SNAP cuts will exacerbate the health toll from OBBBA’s Medicaid cuts.
- The SNAP cuts could have an outsized impact on food security, health and the economy in rural communities.
- Of the 30 Michigan counties with the highest rates of SNAP participation, 26 are rural (see map).
- In many small towns, SNAP dollars are key to the survival of independent grocery stores that keep their communities from becoming food deserts. The loss of this revenue could decrease food access for everyone.
- Michigan will lose $33 million in federal dollars due to the elimination of SNAP-Ed funding (see p. 10). Currently, this money goes to Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan Fitness Foundation to work with community partners, Tribal Land Grant Colleges, and county governments to promote healthy eating and physical activity among families who use SNAP.
- About 15,000 lawfully present immigrants in Michigan (see Table 2) will lose their SNAP eligibility. These include refugees, asylees and other people authorized to live in the U.S. based on humanitarian concerns.
Analysis provided by
Julie Cassidy, Senior Policy Analyst
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.
