With the longest U.S. government shutdown over, the Illinois Department of Human Services announced Thursday they are working to distribute full benefits to the nearly two million recipients of Illinois’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
“The lapse in SNAP funding created unnecessary hardship for 1.9 million Illinoisans and businesses who rely on this federal program,” the IDHS said in a statement posted to its website. “The crisis was entirely avoidable – the Trump Administration had the funding to fully support SNAP but chose not to, putting tens of millions of Americans at risk of hunger.”
According to the agency, remaining benefit payments will be made “over the coming days,” with all SNAP recipients expected to receive their full November benefits by Nov. 20. Friday, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is expected to hold a press conference about the SNAP disruptions as benefits resume.
“Remaining benefits payments will be made over the coming days, with all SNAP recipients receiving their full November benefits by Nov. 20,” IDHS said in a statement Thursday.
Those part of the program can check their EBT Card Balance here, or call Illinois Link Help Line: 1-800-678-LINK (5456).
A back-and-forth series of court rulings and shifting policies from President Donald Trump’s administration has led to a patchwork distribution of November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. While some states already had issued full SNAP benefits, about two-thirds of states had issued only partial benefits or none at all before the government shutdown ended late Wednesday, according to an Associated Press tally.
Thursday, a day after the House voted to end the government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the program, issued new guidance, instructing: “State agencies must take immediate steps to ensure households receive their full November allotments promptly.”
The federal food program serves about 42 million people, about 1 in 8 Americans, in lower-income households. They receive an average of around $190 monthly per person, though that doesn’t necessarily cover the full cost of groceries for a regular month.
Because of the uncertainty over benefits, the USDA told states to exclude November from a federal requirement that most adult SNAP recipients work, volunteer or participate in job training for at least 80 hours a month. Under normal circumstances, recipients can only go three months in a span of three years without meeting the work requirements.
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