LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Roger Victory on Thursday introduced a resolution urging U.S. Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin to vote to reopen the federal government.
“We have been told that critical SNAP food assistance benefits will be paused on Saturday if the federal government is still shut down — and there are 1.4 million Michiganders who now face uncertainty about their ability to put food on the table,” said Victory, R-Hudsonville. “My resolution does not place blame, and it does not attack anyone. It only asks that our members who represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate vote in support of a continuing resolution to fund the government.”
Senate Resolution 85 urges “Michigan’s United States Senators Elissa Slotkin and Gary Peters to vote to support H.R. 5371 to reopen the federal government and resume funding for critical government programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, that are essential for many Michigan families.”
H.R. 5371 is a continuing resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives to provide short-term funding for the federal government while bipartisan budget negotiations continue.
“Food is the foundation of our health, and the failure to fund our federal government puts another barrier before our constituents all across the state,” Victory said. “The SNAP program is near and dear to me because I believe in the importance of food accessibility and the work we have done to invest in Double Up Food Bucks so we can incentivize healthy meals for individuals on the SNAP program and make those precious few dollars go further for struggling families.
“But the issue doesn’t end with SNAP. This is just one of many programs facing the same problem due to the federal government shutdown.”
Victory’s resolution says, “Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have begun to miss paychecks and are furloughed or working without pay. Continuing the government shutdown will exacerbate the impact on Michiganders and citizens across the United States.”
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