As nearly 2 million Illinois residents prepare to lose federal food assistance Saturday amid the government shutdown, Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order Thursday directing $20 million toward food banks across the state.
Food pantries across Illinois have been bracing for a surge in demand due to an anticipated loss of federal food aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps. An estimated one in eight Americans uses SNAP to buy groceries.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture posted a notice Monday stating that no federal food assistance will be distributed after the end of the month. Illinois typically administers roughly $350 million in federal food aid monthly to about 1.9 million people statewide, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services.
Pritzker’s additional funding will support seven food banks that supply more than 2,600 food pantries statewide, according to a news release.
The governor and many other Democrats have blamed the halt in SNAP benefits on President Donald Trump; Republicans have rebuked Democrats for the shutdown, which began Oct. 1 and centers on spending and healthcare.
“The Trump administration wants to let tens of millions of Americans go hungry, a failure in leadership and abdication of our responsibility as Americans to take care of each other,” Pritzker said. “Illinois families, kids, seniors, and people with disabilities will now go without food benefits because President Trump wants to use food assistance as a political bargaining chip. I am directing the state government to work together with food banks, local grocers, and other community organizations and help provide some relief to Illinoisans as the federal government tears apart decades-long food assistance support.”
The state could not put the money directly onto SNAP cards because the Trump Administration has blocked states from being able to do so during the shutdown, Pritzker said.
“We’re using whatever methods we have to feed people. And that’s to support pantries, to support organizations out there that are providing meals for people,” the governor said. “We’re hoping that this doesn’t have to go on too terribly long. November 1 may come and go. But there’s November 2nd, 3rd, 4th and so on. Our hope is that the president will come to his senses and understand that there are people who will otherwise starve or be deprived as a result of his policies.”
In Illinois, about 45% of SNAP benefits go to households with kids and 44% include a person with a disability, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services.
The USDA says nearly 16 million children received SNAP benefits in 2023. The average SNAP household monthly benefit was $332, about $177 per person.
While food banks across the state have been scrambling to shore up supply in anticipation, they caution that they can’t solve the problem.
“The bottom line is we are heading into a hunger crisis if the government shutdown continues and SNAP benefits are frozen,” the Greater Chicago Food Depository said in a statement Wednesday. “People will go hungry, including children, older adults, and veterans.”
As Pritzker signed the SNAP executive order, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced a $50 million loan program for unpaid federal workers living in Illinois affected by the federal government shutdown.
The zero- and low-interest loans will be made available through the treasurer’s linked-deposit program, and Great Lakes Credit Union, with 20 branches in the Chicago region and Danville, is a participating lender.
Frerichs’ office said it was uncertain how many federal employees are currently going unpaid, but said about 153,000 federal employees live and work in Illinois.
“It is truly disheartening that a D.C. dispute over the right to affordable health care has reached a point where the federal government has locked out some workers and forced others to continue working without pay,” Frerichs said in a statement. “Our no-interest loan program aims to provide much-needed relief to workers, ensuring they can feed their families, pay their mortgage, and stay current with electric and water bills.”
The program, Frerichs’ office said, will work by having the treasurer’s office deposit money into financial institutions for the specific purpose of helping unpaid federal workers. In turn, the financial institutions will loan that money to federal workers at below-market rates. The treasurer’s office will deposit money at 0.01 percent if the financial institution agrees to loan out the money to federal workers at zero percent. Other rates might also be available.
