Article abstract
- The home coverage legislation signed by President Donald Trump final week creates new work necessities that might jeopardize meals help advantages for 360,000 Illinoisans.
- Illinois can be required to cowl a better portion of the executive prices and advantages of SNAP, which may price a number of hundred million {dollars}.
- The Congressional Finances Workplace estimates the adjustments will considerably scale back prices for the federal authorities whereas most states must pay considerably extra.
This abstract was written by the reporters and editors who labored on this story.
A whole lot of 1000’s of Illinoisans may lose advantages from a federal meals help program whereas the state can be required to cowl extra prices underneath adjustments handed within the newest home coverage plan.
President Donald Trump signed the “One Huge, Stunning Invoice Act” into legislation on July 4, making sweeping adjustments to social providers applications, together with Medicaid. Among the many applications being revamped is the Supplemental Diet Help Program, higher often called SNAP. The invoice institutes new work necessities for many individuals to stay eligible for advantages and shifts some prices for this system to the states.
Meals stamps had been first established within the Nineteen Thirties in the course of the Nice Despair. Renamed to SNAP in 2008, this system gives month-to-month stipends for low-income People to buy choose meals at grocery shops. Whereas states implement this system and pay a portion of administrative bills, the federal authorities has traditionally lined the price of the advantages.
Beneath the legislation, work necessities to qualify for SNAP advantages have been expanded to incorporate individuals as much as age 64, together with homeless individuals, veterans and younger adults leaving foster care. Beforehand, solely individuals age 18-54 needed to meet work necessities.
These populations didn’t beforehand should show they had been doing a specific amount of labor, however when the adjustments kick in, they must do 80 hours of paid, unpaid or volunteer work every month to qualify for advantages, in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The legislation continues to offer exemptions for people who find themselves bodily unable to work, equivalent to for being pregnant.
The adjustments may go away 360,000 individuals in Illinois susceptible to dropping eligibility, in accordance with the state.
“Trump and Republicans would relatively kids go hungry so their mates can obtain tax cuts,” Gov. JB Pritzker mentioned in a press release. “Right here in Illinois, we now have been working to fight meals insecurity for years, and whereas no state can backfill these prices, the State of Illinois will proceed to battle towards these dangerous impacts and arise for working households.”
About 1.9 million individuals had been utilizing SNAP in Illinois as of March 2025, according to the USDA.
New prices for the state
Illinois and most different states must cowl a better portion of prices for SNAP underneath the legislation, together with advantages based mostly on the state’s error fee of over- and under-payments on advantages.
Starting in federal fiscal 12 months 2028, which begins in October 2027, the legislation requires states with an error fee better than 10% as of not less than FY25 to cowl 15% of the price of advantages. States with decrease error charges would cowl a smaller portion of the advantages. Illinois recorded an 11% error fee in FY24, in accordance with the USDA.
Greater than 1.8 million Illinoisians acquired $4.7 billion of SNAP advantages in FY25, in accordance with the state. If Illinois should pay 15% of the price of advantages, it may go away the state on the hook for $705 million — or about 1.3% of the current-year finances.
Additionally starting in federal fiscal 12 months 2027, which begins in October 2026, states must cowl 75% of administrative prices for SNAP, relatively than 50%. This 12 months’s state finances appropriates $60 million for administrative prices for SNAP — up $20 million from final 12 months.
The adjustments are a part of initiatives by congressional Republicans and the Trump administration to shift extra accountability for help applications to states. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates adjustments to SNAP will scale back federal spending by $279 billion over 10 years however improve state spending on SNAP by $121 billion over the identical time. The CBO predicts some states may abandon this system or select to offer a decrease stage of advantages and never make up for reductions Congress made to this system.
Pritzker and 22 different governors sent a letter to Congress final month saying it’s attainable states must go away or scale back the SNAP program due to the brand new price necessities.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan information service that distributes state authorities protection to a whole bunch of stories shops statewide. It’s funded primarily by the Illinois Press Basis and the Robert R. McCormick Basis.
