EXPERTS ADVISORY
University of Michigan experts are available to discuss the impact of a potential halt in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding due to the federal government shutdown.
A directive from the U.S. Department of Agriculture has instructed states to hold off until further notice on sending the electronic files that reload monthly funds to Electronic Benefit Transfer, or EBT, cards.
More than 41 million Americans rely on SNAP, the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program. About 1.4 million Michiganders rely on SNAP to eat, and they redeem about $300 million a month—or $3.6 billion in a year—at local retailers across the state.
Luke Shaefer is the Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy, professor of public policy and social work, and faculty director of Poverty Solutions, a universitywide initiative that aims to prevent and alleviate poverty through action-based research. He studies poverty and social welfare policy, with a focus on tax credits as a poverty reduction tool.
“If SNAP benefits are suspended, the fallout will reverberate far beyond a spike in food insecurity for families. As families use the money they have to plug gaps in their food budget, we can expect to see more families fall behind on their rent and utility bills, which in turn hits landlords and utility providers,” Shaefer said. “We can also expect that grocery stores where families use their benefits will be particularly hard hit. The extent of the damage would depend on how long the shutdown continues, but there is a lot of reason to think it will get really bad, really quick for families, grocery stores and local economies.”
Pamela Herd is the Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor of Social Policy at the Ford School of Public Policy and a faculty associate at the Institute for Social Research’s Population Studies Center. Her research focuses on inequality and how it intersects with health, aging and policy.
“The pause in SNAP benefits on Nov. 1 will be devastating for millions of Americans,” Herd said. “Recipients need SNAP to feed their families: One in four children have enough to eat because of the program. The federal government is required to maintain SNAP benefits during a shutdown. They have the resources to provide them. But they are choosing to take food away from these families instead.”
