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.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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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 federal shutdown has migrated from Washington to the dinner tables of Michigan families.

The federal shutdown began October 1, after Congress failed to pass a new budget to fund government operations. The stalemate centers on disputes over spending levels and policy riders, including aid to Ukraine and domestic program cuts. In the meantime, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has warned states that November SNAP benefits may be delayed. If nothing changes, families could find no new funds on their EBT cards when the month begins.

In Michigan, roughly 1.4 million people—about one in seven residents— rely on the aid once known as food stamps to help cover groceries.

State leaders are scrambling. 

In Lansing, Democrats are drafting a short-term plan: one option would front limited state dollars to keep benefits flowing or to bolster food banks until Congress and the White House break the stalemate. 

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks is at the center of that push, pressing federal officials to move faster even as the USDA says it won’t tap contingency funds for November. 

She is pointing blame at Republicans because they control Congress, calling this impending crisis “a weaponization of hunger.”

In a conversation with The Metro’s Robyn Vincent, Brinks discussed Michigan’s next steps, and the need for federal action to keep dinner on the table.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Children experiencing food insecurity this summer will have multiple services available to them to get free, nutritional meals.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Michigan Department of Education’s Summer Food Service Program — known nationally as  known as the SUN Meals To-Go program and known in Michigan as Meet Up and Eat Up,  — provides children in need with nutritious meals at on-site locations all across the state.

Families that can’t visit an on-site service can visit the meals to-go locations to take meals home. To find a location near you, visit Michigan.gov/meetupeatup.

Another option for summer meals is the SUN Bucks Michigan Summer EBT program administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The program provides $120 for groceries per child through an EBT card. However, Health Department officials say because this program is backed by federal dollars, the program is in jeopardy this year due to proposed federal cuts to food assistance benefits and Medicaid.

For now, funding is still in place and families can take advantage. 

Other headlines for Thursday, June 26, 2025:

• The Wayne Mobile Health Unit (WMHU) is hosting a free vision clinic today through Saturday, June 28, at Grace Community Church. 21001 Moross Rd., Detroit. The event, held in partnership with Detroit OneSight Vision Clinic and Hap CareSource, will offer free comprehensive eye exams and prescription glasses, as well as free blood pressure checks, oral screenings, dental exams, hearing tests and more.
• The city of Detroit is hosting a Veterans Resource Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Friday at the Northwest Activities Center. The free event will have career opportunities, veteran support services, community resources, and more.
• It’s national Homeownership Month and Detroit Project REACh is teaming up with Detroit Future City and other community organizations to host the 2025 Homebuyers Fair at Huntington Place this Saturday. There will be two sessions, with the first from 10 a.m. to noon and the second from 1 to 3 p.m.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.