Michigan SNAP Enrollment Drops 167,000 After New Work Rules
Michigan's SNAP enrollment fell by more than 167,000 people, including over 53,000 children, between June 2025 and August 2026, a nearly 12% decline, according to the Detroit Free Press. State officials and policy experts attribute much of the drop to new federal work requirements and added paperwork enacted under the 2025 federal tax law, which expanded work-and-reporting mandates to adults aged 18-64 without dependents under 14 and eliminated exemptions for homeless individuals, veterans, and former foster youth. Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services says confusion over new reporting duties, rather than reduced need, is driving people off the program, and the state must now also cover a larger share of program costs. Food pantries across the state report rising demand as former SNAP recipients lose benefits.