Huizenga, James, and Barrett Voted to Cut Food Assistance—Now Michigan Taxpayers Are Paying for It

Since Reps. Tom Barrett (MI-07), Bill Huizenga (MI-04), and John James (MI-10) voted for the Republican Tax Law — which made the deepest SNAP cuts in the program's history — more than 145,000 Michiganders have lost food assistance. A third of them are children, and seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities have also lost benefits that helped them put food on the table. These cuts increase food costs for families whose budgets are already stretched thin.

“I worked and paid taxes my whole life, and now I'm living on a fixed income,” said Cynthia, who lives in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. “The little bit of help I get from SNAP means I don’t have to worry about putting food on the table. I can’t believe Congressman Barrett voted for these cuts, just so he could give tax breaks to the wealthiest. It’s unfair for those of us who are doing our best to get by while grocery prices keep going up.”

Now, Michigan is picking up the tab for the federal cuts to food assistance. The state’s new budget is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to fill the hole that Reps. James, Huizenga, and Barrett left behind. Every dollar Michigan spends to keep families fed is a state taxpayer dollar that could have gone to funding education, roads, or public safety.

At a time when 40% of Michiganders are struggling to afford basic needs, including groceries staples like meat and produce, Reps. Barrett, Huizenga, and James supported tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy instead of food assistance for the people they represent. Michigan Families for Fair Care is calling on Congressmen James, Huizenga, and Barrett to reverse the SNAP cuts they voted for so Michigan taxpayers don’t have to shoulder the burden.