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Michigan’s SNAP administration costs to jump $94 million as feds shift burden to states
Michigan’s cost to administer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will rise by about $94 million in the coming fiscal year as the federal government shifts a larger share of food stamp expenses to the states.
Michigan spent approximately $382.7 million administering SNAP in fiscal year 2024, according to the Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services. The administrative costs included staffing, technology, employee training, fraud control, employment and training programs.
Historically, state and federal governments have split most SNAP administrative expenses equally. Beginning in fiscal year 2027, which starts Oct. 1, the federal contribution will fall from 50% to 25%, leaving states responsible for 75%. Click here to read more.
Other states will take Illinoisans’ money if Pritzker doesn’t opt into federal scholarship program
A new local billboard is garnering media attention by advertising that Illinois taxpayers can get a federal income tax credit for donating money to students out of state.
The billboard, in south suburban Chicago near the Indiana border, refers to the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, also known as the Education Freedom Tax Credit. The program offers taxpayers a dollar-for-dollar income tax credit for donations of up to $1,700 per year to qualified scholarship-granting organizations.
Any taxpayer in any state can claim the credit starting in 2027. But only students in states whose governor has opted into the program can benefit from the donated education money.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has not opted Illinois in. Four of Illinois’ neighbors have, including Indiana, where the billboard is advertising Illinoisans to donate scholarship money. Click here to read more.
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When Bari Weiss was hired to lead CBS News last year, many of the network’s star reporters feared the centrist founder of The Free Press news site would turn the network into a mouthpiece for the Trump administration. Longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley was fired after he accused Weiss of “murdering the show.”
If the season premiere of “60 Minutes” is any indication, progressives have little to complain about. In a segment titled “The Pardon Economy,” veteran CBS reporter Lesley Stahl alleges that Trump has upended the way U.S. presidents have dispensed pardons for “100 years or more” by creating a “new system” that involves lobbyists and high-priced “pardon brokers.”
Stahl’s report suggests that Trump has replaced the normal order – in which pardons typically go through an apolitical review by the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney– with a scheme that looks like “pay-to-play.” It has already led Democrats to vow they will investigate the issue if they retake the House in the November mid-term elections. Click here to read more.
AI, data center developers spending big to elect Jocelyn Benson governor of Michigan
Despite persistent claims her campaign eschews corporate donations, Jocelyn Benson’s recent campaign finance records tell a completely different story.
In fact, at least $1.55 million has flowed to Benson’s Democratic gubernatorial campaign and her Michigan Legacy PAC from donors directly tied to the data center and AI infrastructure industry. A significant portion of that sum was donated by Arista Networks co-founder Kenneth Duda and his wife Jennifer to MLPAC. Arista builds high-speed networking gear for hyperscale cloud and AI data centers.
But other data center and AI principals have fattened Benson’s campaign coffers as well, including Related Companies founder Stephen Ross, CEO Jeff Blau, and Vice President Ryan Friedrichs. Evan Goldberg is executive vice president at Oracle, which is working in partnership with OpenAI and Related Companies to force a data center into Saline Township. Click here to read more.
Mackinac Bridge crash: Jamaican man in custody, four injured after early morning collision
FOX 2 - One person is in custody following a two-vehicle crash on the Mackinac Bridge early Wednesday morning.
Michigan State Police responded to the scene just before 3 a.m. on the bridge following reports that multiple vehicles had collided on the bridge connecting the state’s two peninsulas.
Mackinac Bridge Crash
What we know:
A suspect was arrested for reckless driving causing serious impairment of body function, Michigan State Police announced Wednesday afternoon.
The crash happened after multiple vehicles passed through the toll booths on southbound I-75. After passing through the area, they accelerated quickly and “began driving recklessly at high rates of speed.” Click here to read more.
