Neighbors reacting after Michigan joins fight against proposed food assistance cuts

BENTON HARBOR, Mich – Michigan is joining other states in fighting back against the federal government’s proposed changes to the SNAP program. 

Snap which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program helps people who need food assistance. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing changing how states create eligibility requirements. 

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined 23 other Attorneys General to oppose the rule change by the federal government.

“This don’t look big, but it’s big,” Benton Harbor resident George Moon said. 

The federal government’s rule change could affect up to 144,000 Michiganders.  

“Anytime we are taking away instead of giving more even though the benefits people have been receiving sometimes that’s not even enough,” Benton Harbor Pastor Carlton Lynch said. 

The Attorneys General argue that this change could lead to over 3-million people in the nation to lose their SNAP benefits 

Among those losing benefits would include school kids losing free meals and seniors that use the program to bridge the gap. 

Nessel’s action joins the Attorneys General of California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, The District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin in submitting the letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.