South Michigan News

Senator Roger Victory of Hudsonville has introduced a resolution in the Michigan Senate calling on U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin to support efforts to end the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Victory highlighted concerns about potential interruptions to critical assistance programs if the shutdown continues. “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. “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.”

The proposed Senate Resolution 85 urges Senators Slotkin and Peters to back H.R. 5371, which is legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives intended to provide temporary funding for federal operations as 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 stated. He also emphasized his support for food accessibility initiatives, saying, “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."

Victory noted that SNAP is just one among many essential programs affected by lapses in federal funding due to a shutdown.

The resolution further points out that hundreds of thousands of federal employees are already missing paychecks or working without compensation during this period: “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.”