As families across America prepare to gather around the dinner table in celebration of the end-of-year holidays, millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants do so with the looming fear that they could soon lose access to this critical lifeline.
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, has long stood as our country’s most effective tool against hunger. Today, that lifeline is under attack. Sweeping structural program changes that were included in July’s budget reconciliation bill leave millions of SNAP participants at risk of being kicked off the program in the coming months.
During the recent government shutdown, Illinois SNAP participants experienced immediate hunger and hardship as their benefits were abruptly halted. Our food pantries across Chicago, Cook County and 13 neighboring counties in Northern Illinois were flooded with people seeking help — many turning to us for the first time. The surge offered a sobering preview of the crisis to come.
In the coming months, able-bodied adults up to age 64, parents with children over 14, veterans and youth aging out of foster care must meet rigid work-reporting rules or face losing benefits. Research shows that work requirements do not increase employment; they simply strip basic food assistance from those who need it most. Refugees, asylum seekers and other legally present immigrants will also lose access to SNAP, reversing decades of bipartisan policy. Illinois is one of several states suing to delay implementation.
And for the first time, states will have to shoulder up to 15% of SNAP benefit costs, something the federal government has historically covered 100%. The amount states are required to pay is based on a technical program metric that looks at their rate of under- and overpayments, also known as the “payment error rate.” Illinois’ future financial obligation based on its current error rate could amount to more than $700 million a year.
Even more concerning is the stark reality that if Illinois is unable to cover its new share of the program costs, the SNAP program would be eliminated in the state altogether.
That’s a prospect families like Charlene Echoles’ dreads. Facing rising living costs and a delay in SNAP benefits recently, Charlene and her family visited a food pantry for the first time during the government shutdown to help feed their two children. Despite both parents working, Charlene says it’s getting harder to make ends meet, and she’s worried about the potential of losing SNAP benefits. “It’s very expensive to live. Not even just feed. Just to live. You have to choose between bills, your kids eating, or you’re not eating,” she said.
The upcoming SNAP changes will not only deepen hunger, they will also ripple through every corner of our communities. Every SNAP dollar spent generates at least $1.50 in economic activity, bolstering local businesses and fueling tax revenues essential for vital services like our schools and health care.
In fiscal year 2024 alone, SNAP injected over $4.4 billion into Illinois, bringing in more than $280 million a month to Cook County’s local economy, according to Greater Chicago Food Depository estimates.
SNAP is also an investment in long-term health with SNAP participants incurring $1,400–$2,360 less in annual health care costs than low-income non-participants. Reducing SNAP support for our most vulnerable neighbors would create significant challenges for families and our local economy.
In Illinois, where nearly 2 million individuals — 16% of the state’s population — rely on SNAP, weakening SNAP would be devastating. For every meal a food bank or pantry provides, SNAP provides nine. If SNAP is eliminated, charitable organizations will be unable to fill the gap. The emergency food system is already at full capacity because of elevated food prices, health care and housing costs. Lines at pantries will stretch even longer, parents will skip meals so their children can eat, seniors will ration medication to afford groceries and veterans will be denied the dignity of basic nutrition.
We must do everything within our power to prevent this. We must urge Congress to reverse these catastrophic changes to SNAP. If the federal government does not take swift action to undo the cuts, Illinois must prepare to protect SNAP. Supporting this program is both sound policy and our responsibility to one another. Because when we weaken the safety net, we don’t just hurt individuals, we unravel the very fabric of our communities.
Kate Maehr is executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Julie Yurko is president and CEO of the Northern Illinois Food Bank.