Michigan Budget Director Tours Kalamazoo Food Bank as State Faces $1 Billion Revenue Loss and Federal SNAP Changes Put West Michigan Families at Risk

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Michigan State Budget Director Jen Flood joined state Sen. Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo) for a tour of Loaves and Fishes, a food bank serving West Michigan families, to discuss the impact of federal changes on SNAP and what the governor's budget proposal means for food assistance across the region.

During the visit, staff at the Kalamazoo food bank told Flood and McCann that families they serve are having a harder time accessing SNAP benefits. The staff pointed to new regulations from the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Trump, which has changed how states administer the program.

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

Flood and McCann walked through the food banks warehouse, hearing from volunteers about what they are facing on the ground with families trying to put food on the table.

"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," Flood said.

The governor's proposal totals $88.1 billion. Included is more than $186 million in additional funds to administer SNAP, but also 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," Flood said.

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 said it is.

"We built our budget based on those projections," Flood said. "We'll 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."

The Governor's proposal is just one piece of the 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," Flood said. "I've seen (Speaker Matt Halls) comments about the governors proposal, but he'll have an opportunity to put out his own budget and approach for solving the deficit that we're facing."

Another sticking point in the process is likely to be House Republicans preference for cuts. Flood was asked about whether the budget office will make cuts to programs if the budget does not pass.

"We're in budget mode and we're looking at what we can do to balance the budget," Flood said. "We're going to have to look at spending, we're going to have to look at revenue, we're going to have to look at what we can do to make sure that we balance the budget."

The budget process is expected to continue through May as lawmakers finalize their visions for the state budget. Both the Democrats and Republicans in Lansing will have to find common ground to balance the books while protecting programs that West Michigan families depend on for food, healthcare and essential services.

The governor has been working to balance competing priorities as she tries to maintain access to programs like SNAP and Medicaid while dealing with revenue shortfalls and federal changes that put additional pressure on the state budget.

"We're committed to making sure that we balance the budget," Flood said. "We're committed to making sure that we protect the programs that people need. We're committed to making sure that we leave our states finances in better shape than we inherited them."