Michigan Budget Director Tours Kalamazoo Food Bank as Federal Cuts and State Budget Debate Put West Michigan Families at Risk

State Budget Director Sees Federal Cuts Impacting Food Bank Operations

KALAMAZOO — Michigan State Budget Director Jen Flood walked through the warehouse at Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes Wednesday, hearing directly from staff about the challenges food assistance programs face as federal regulations tighten and state revenue declines.

Flood joined state Sen. Sean McCann (D - Kalamazoo) for the tour, where volunteers described how families are struggling to access SNAP benefits under new rules from the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

We are seeing the federal government pass the tab to states on some really important programs like SNAP and Medicaid said Flood. We wanted to come here to see sort of the work on the front.

Staff at Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes told Flood and McCann that people they serve are having a harder time accessing SNAP benefits. The food bank sees increased demand as federal qualification rules change and working requirements tighten under the new legislation.

Governor's Budget Proposal Includes SNAP Funding But Faces Revenue Gap

The governor's final budget proposal totals $88.1 billion and includes more than $186 million in additional funds to administer SNAP, plus upwards of $780 million in Medicare funding.

The action that Congress took last year blew an enormous hole in our budget and it also puts access to food and health care at risk for millions of Michiganders said Flood.

But on top of addressing federal pressures, the state faces a more than $1 billion decline in revenue this year.

When asked if the State Budget Office was taking that into effect, Flood confirmed the budget was built based on those projections. We will get an update in May, but the Governors committed to leaving our states finances in better shape than she inherited them, so we will watch closely what happens and make sure that our spending leaves us in a good place.

Rising Costs Compound Federal Funding Challenges

The challenges food banks face extend beyond SNAP qualification changes. Rising fuel costs have strained distribution operations across West Michigan.

Diesel fuel is currently a big challenge for us because it is over $5 a gallon which is more than what we had planned on said Ken Estelle, President and CEO of Feeding America West Michigan. We are right now spending about $7,000 a month more on diesel fuel than what we would have planned which is equivalent to about 28,000 meals.

Estelle noted that about 30 percent of the food Feeding America West Michigan distributes comes through federal programs, primarily the Emergency Food Assistance Program. Federal funding cuts from the Trump Administration removed approximately $500 million from that program in 2024, eliminating about a quarter of available funding.

Legislative Battle Looms

The governor's proposal is just one piece of the budget process. Both chambers of the legislature will each put forth their own vision. The Republicans, in control of the state House, are already wary of new taxes sought by Whitmer and a $400 million draw from reserves, which they called non-starters.

At the end of the day, we care about a lot of the same things said Flood. Ive seen Speakers comments about the governors proposal, but hell have an opportunity to put out his own budget and approach for solving the deficit that were facing.

Federal Rule Changes Tighten Access

New SNAP qualification rules signed into law have raised the expected working age from 54 to 64 years old under the Big Beautiful Bill. These changes are forcing food banks to serve more families who no longer qualify for benefits.

We know that families are facing rising costs, and so in the Governors final budget, we have investments to help make sure that people maintain access to healthcare, maintain access food said Flood.

The budget director emphasized that maintaining access to food assistance is critical as families deal with compounding financial pressures from federal policy changes and state revenue shortfalls. Both Flood and McCann toured the food bank warehouse, hearing directly from volunteers about the impact these policy shifts have on community members trying to feed their families.