Updates About Public Health

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a statement this week in response to the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ decision to delay its recommendation on administering the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The department stressed the importance of early protection against hepatitis B and encouraged families and health providers to continue following the immunization schedules outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians. With an estimated 1.6 million Americans living with chronic hepatitis B, postponing the birth dose could reverse years of progress and lead to avoidable infections. The vaccine has a decades-long record of safety and effectiveness, virtually eliminating hepatitis B among children since universal newborn immunization began in 2002.

In response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcing that SNAP benefits would not be distributed for the month of November, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a lawsuit with 24 other states arguing the USDA unlawfully suspended the funds. Recently, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration must provide partial benefits to SNAP recipients while the federal government shutdown continues. Judge Indira Talwani from the U.S District Court for Massachusetts ruled that the USDA is required to use the appropriated contingency funds for the program.

The Trump administration has insisted that the use of contingency funds is not legally permitted to cover benefits. However, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins argued that because SNAP is not currently funded, the emergency SNAP benefits cannot be distributed. In 2019, the USDA used contingency funds in response to that year’s government shutdown. The pausing of the benefits was set to affect over 42 million Americans nationwide, including 1.4 million Michigan residents.

Following Judge Talwani’s ruling, President Trump instructed his lawyers to ask for clarification from the court on how they can legally fund SNAP. The USDA reported that its contingency fund could only cover approximately half of November’s benefits, leaving no funds available for future months. The USDA was also instructed by the court to notify them if tariff revenue dollars can be used to support SNAP benefits; USDA officials and U.S. Department of Justice lawyers declined the request.

The USDA notified the Michigan Department of Health and Humans Services that the partial SNAP benefits will begin to be distributed on Saturday, November 8th.

In response to the initial pause, Democrats in the state House announced a five-bill package to give benefits to Michiganders receiving SNAP. Key bills in the package include HB 5193 (Myers Phillips, D-Detroit) which would create emergency funding to backfill SNAP benefits for two months, HB 5194 (Edwards, D-Eastpointe) allocating $12.5 million to support food pantry programs, and HB 5195 (Coffia, D-Traverse City) to provide $12.5 million to the Food Bank Council of Michigan.

The Michigan Senate also took action by passing $71 million in supplemental funding to backfill some of the cost for SNAP benefits. Specifically, the appropriation allocates $50 million for emergency food assistance, $10 million for the agricultural surplus system, $10 million for food bank grants, and $1 million to expand the Double Up Food Bucks program.

In an all-hands-on-deck approach, Governor Whitmer also announced that the state will be giving $4.5 million to the Food Bank Council of Michigan. This funding will go toward providing food delivery to residents in all 83 counties who have been impacted by the SNAP benefits pause.