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Nearly 2 million Illinoisans will be cut off from food stamps next month if the federal government remains shut down, threatening “a vital lifeline to nutrition,” the Illinois Department of Human Services announced this week.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture informed states that it won’t fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps, starting Nov. 1 unless there’s an end to the weeks-long government shutdown, IDHS said in a Thursday news release.
SNAP provides low-income people with prepaid cards that they can use to purchase groceries. Benefits have continued through October.
Illinois would lose the $350 million it administers to 1.9 million recipients across the state. The state “does not have the budgetary ability to backfill these critical resources,” IDHS said.
“SNAP is a proven, time-tested program, one that protects children and families from going hungry,” said Dulce M. Quintero, IDHS Secretary. “The federal government needs to ensure families receive their benefits on November 1, so their livelihoods are not disrupted.”
Gov. JB Pritzker pointed the finger at President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who he said are jeopardizing food assistance that goes to working families because they “want to score political points and refuse to reach a deal that reopens the federal government.”
“Why is it that they can find the money during a shutdown to pay their masked federal agents wreaking havoc in our communities but not help people in need put food on the table,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Trump promised to lower costs but that’s not happening — the very least they could do is preserve SNAP access for low-income families struggling to feed their kids.”
“One child going hungry in America is one too many — this used to be a value we could all agree upon,” Pritzker added. “The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans need to do their damn job and start delivering for the American people.”
The Greater Chicago Food Depository said earlier this month that it is “gravely concerned that a prolonged shutdown could significantly increase hunger and hardship for millions across the U.S.” The longer the shutdown goes on, the greater the risk for the millions who rely on public food assistance, the statement said.
“We continue to urge elected leaders to reopen the government and fund critical safety net programs that address poverty and hunger,” the food depository said. Food pantries across Chicago have reported an “extraordinary demand” for food assistance in recent years as food prices climbed.
Across Illinois, about 45% of SNAP benefits go to households with children, and 44% have a person with a disability, according to IDHS. The average monthly SNAP benefit is $370, the department said.
Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, said a disruption in SNAP benefits could also impact grocers who are “already struggling to keep their doors open.”
“The elimination of this vital support puts entire communities at risk of losing access to fresh and healthy food,” Karr said.
The ongoing shutdown — which is primarily centered around debate on health care spending — began Oct. 1 and currently has no end in sight. Many federal workers in Illinois have been furloughed and Chicago’s federal court operations have been disrupted, among other impacts.
Besides the shutdown, other changes could also soon cut access to SNAP. Trump signed into law earlier this year a sweeping Republican domestic package that expanded work requirements for SNAP benefits to previously exempt groups such as adults ages 55 to 64.
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Rebecca Johnson
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