MSU Extension union members say SNAP-Ed cuts will result in layoffs by end of July

BY BEN SOLIS, MICHIGAN ADVANCE

MICHIGAN—The anticipated expiration of SNAP-Ed funding in October is likely to result in the permanent elimination of jobs at the Michigan State University Extension program, the full scope of which will be known by July 31, the Extension United Local 1855 announced Monday.

SNAP-Ed is a federally funded grant program run through the U.S. Department of Agriculture that teaches people how to cook healthy meals, and lead physically active lifestyles.

The cuts are part of the larger federal funding eliminations to SNAP benefits signed recently by President Donald Trump.

In a news release issued Monday, the union affiliated with the Michigan branch of the American Federation of Teachers said it expected up to 120 jobs being permanently eliminated. The union also asked community members to reach out to state legislators to help bolster support for SNAP-Ed funding.

However, in a statement to Michigan Advance on Tuesday, Quentin Tyler, director of the MSU Extension, said the full scope of affected staff remains unknown and that a complete timetable for cuts is also unknown. Tyler did acknowledge that notification would be sent to affected staff by July 31.

“SNAP-Ed represented an enormous part of our health and nutrition work. The grant provided more than $10 million annually for MSU Extension and supported the overwhelming majority of our nutrition and physical activity programming,” Tyler said. “Due to federal budget decisions, we now know we will no longer receive SNAP-Ed funding in fiscal year 2026, which begins on October 1, 2025.”

Tyler said the cuts are devastating, as SNAP-Ed programming helped children, adults and families all across Michigan become healthier and more active.

“This is a very complex situation to navigate, as SNAP-Ed supports staff with varying employment classifications, unions, and statuses,” Tyler said. “As such, details are not yet finalized and we do not have a complete timeline or exact number of staff affected to share at this point.”

The MSU Extension is one of two agencies that implement SNAP-Ed funding in Michigan, the other being the Michigan Fitness Foundation. While the funding loss for MSU Extension is $10.5 million annually, the overall impact for Michigan is $27.6 million annually.

MSU Extension has implemented SNAP-Ed programming for more than 30 years, collaborating with more than 1,000 community partners and over 200 colations in all 83 Michigan counties.

Aside from the funding cuts and potential layoffs, Extension United said communication with administrators on the fallout was initially released in an opinion piece published by Tyler and Cheryl Eschbach, director of the MSU Extension Health and Nutrition Institute.

“Only through advocacy by Extension United, including the demand to impact bargain these layoffs, did MSU finally confirm a timeline for the mass layoffs earlier this week,” Extension United said. “The exact number of affected positions still remains unclear, and MSU states they are completing internal review processes.”

The union also said that despite their early efforts to collaborate with MSU’s lobbyists on the loss of funding, the administration remained unresponsive.

Tyler, in a statement to the Advance, said the university did communicate the news to all staff, including information about how the funding elimination would result in a workforce reduction and reorganization.

“We have also communicated to all staff that we aim to provide notification to everyone impacted by the elimination of SNAP-Ed funding on [July 31],” Tyler said. “This is an extraordinarily difficult situation, but we are so proud of our 30-year legacy providing SNAP-Ed programming to Michiganders as well as the staff who have made this work possible.”

READ MORE: Working folks build food solutions, while Congress slashes SNAP

This coverage was republished from Michigan Advance pursuant to a Creative Commons license.