Nearly 2 million people in Illinois could lose federal food benefits ahead of Thanksgiving if Congress can’t agree on a budget by the end of the month.
The Illinois Department of Human Services announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture has told states that Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will not be funded beginning Nov. 1 if the federal government shutdown continues into a second month. About 1.9 million people in Illinois receive SNAP benefits each month.
The federal government has been without a budget since Oct.1, making virtually no progress in negotiations over health care issues causing the stalemate. The shutdown is now one of the longest in history and if it extends beyond Nov. 4, would become the longest ever, surpassing a 35-day shutdown in President Donald Trump’s first term.
“They’re refusing to save health care for 22 million Americans, and now they’re willing to let 1.9 million Illinoisans — including children — go hungry,” Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez said in a statement. “Somehow, they can find the money to pay the ICE agents who have terrorized our communities, but not to keep food on our kids’ tables.”
Illinois administers $350 million in SNAP benefits each month to low-income or other qualifying individuals. In Illinois, 45% of SNAP households include children and 44% include a person with a disability, according to IDHS.
Beneficiaries receive an average of $370 each month. The state expects benefit disbursements to continue if a budget is passed by the end of the month.
State’s limited options
SNAP benefits are currently entirely funded by the federal government, which Gov. JB Pritzker said makes it hard for the state to cover if funding is cut off.
“There is no reimbursement of the state if those SNAP benefits are lost,” Pritzker told reporters in Moline on Friday. “I asked that question immediately. There obviously is a big challenge for a lot of families — hundreds of thousands of families — across Illinois.”
Pritzker said his administration is looking at ways it can help people affected by the cut, but the state faces its own budget challenges, partially because of federal policy changes Congress made earlier this year. Pritzker has directed many state agencies to identify up to 4% of spending that can be reserved this year, while his budget office’s latest report indicates the state faces a more than $200 million deficit in the current fiscal year 2026 and $2 billion shortfall in FY27.
Read more: Illinois budget on track for deficit as new federal policies create challenges | Pritzker directs state agencies to limit spending in response to Trump’s economic policies
“We’re trying to figure out what we can do and what we can afford to do to support people, and how we might be able to support pantries,” Pritzker said.
SNAP benefits will soon be partially the state’s responsibility. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” Trump signed in July shifts half of administrative costs to states beginning in October 2026.
In October 2027, states will also begin paying a portion of benefits based on the state’s error rate of payments in prior years. States like Illinois with a higher error rate on SNAP payments will have to cover a greater portion of benefits. Illinois’ current error rate would put it on track to pay $705 million for benefits when the new policy takes effect.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
