Gov. Pritzker Signs Executive Order to Bolster Food Assistance for Illinoisans
State launches coordinated response, invests $20M in food banks in response to Trump Administration halting SNAP benefits.
SPRINGFIELD – Today, Governor Pritzker signed Executive Order 2025-08 to direct $20 million towards food banks and to mitigate the harmful policies and actions taken by the Trump Administration. Governor Pritzker’s order launches a statewide strategy to respond to the Trump Administration halting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding benefits for nearly 2 million Illinoisans beginning November 1, as well as the devastating impacts of the Trump spending bill that reduces food assistance.
“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,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “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.”
As the federal government shutdown continues, the Trump Administration has chosen to completely shut off SNAP benefits for the first time in the program’s 60-year history, zeroing out the grocery purchasing power of about 1.8 million Illinoisans. Though roughly $5 billion in federal contingency funding exists for situations like a shutdown, USDA is choosing not to issue benefits starting November 1. SNAP is a 100% federally funded program, and the State of Illinois administers approximately $350 million in federal SNAP benefits per month.
“Once again, Donald Trump and Republicans are choosing the path of chaos and cruelty—because they refuse to negotiate in good faith, they alone own the suffering this shutdown is causing.” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Very soon, we’re going to start seeing families across Illinois struggle to put food on the table. Our administration is stepping up where we can to support emergency food access across our state because we believe no one should go hungry—but know that this crisis isn’t inevitable. It is a choice being made Republicans in Washington to let working families starve to support their political games.”
“Access to food is fundamental to the well-being of our communities and the strength of our state,” said Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services Dulce M. Quintero. “We are deeply grateful for Governor Pritzker’s leadership in ensuring Illinois takes a proactive, coordinated approach to protecting food access. Through strong partnerships with local organizations and community leaders, we are working to ensure that every Illinoisan can meet their basic needs with dignity.”
“During this time of unprecedented need, we are profoundly grateful for the state’s leadership and swift action to provide additional funding for our food bank network in response to the intolerable gap in SNAP benefits,” said Steve Ericson, Executive Director of Feeding Illinois. “Food banks cannot replace SNAP, but this support will help ensure our Illinois families and individuals facing hunger have access to the healthy, nourishing food they need to carry them through these challenging times and beyond.”
FUNDING FOR FOOD BANKS
While the State of Illinois—and the vast majority of other states in the country—cannot make up the funding gap from a budgetary perspective, the executive order provides $20 million in funding to support seven food banks that supply over 2,600 food pantries across Illinois. The funding includes $10 million from the Budget Reserve for Immediate Disbursements and Governmental Emergencies (BRIDGE) Fund and $10 million from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). The approximately $100 million BRIDGE reserve fund was created to fill short-term needs as the Trump Administration continues to systemically deny states and people critical resources they are owed. ?
With this announcement, IDHS will work swiftly to make this funding available to the food banks, who are already seeing an increased need that is also exacerbated by federal workers who are on furlough. Food banks are extremely well situated and organized to efficiently procure food and distribute it to the thousands of food pantries that serve almost every corner of the state. ? Concerned Illinois residents who have the means are encouraged to support the food bank system visiting https://www.feedingillinois.org/ to make a contribution.
EXECUTIVE ORDER DIRECTS STATEWIDE RESPONSE
The executive order directs a coordinated, statewide response to protect access to food, strengthen partnerships with grocers, and ensure that Illinois continues to address hunger in the face of federal retrenchment, including:
- Emergency Funding to Food Banks: Illinois will direct $20 million in state funding to support food banks across Illinois beginning November 1, as food banks and pantries across the state will likely face increased demand due to the pause of SNAP funds.
- Listening to Communities: IDHS and the Illinois Commission to End Hunger (ICTEH) will host statewide listening sessions to hear directly from residents, grocers, food banks, farmers, and community organizations about how SNAP changes are affecting them. A public report will share findings and policy recommendations.
- Restoring Hunger Data: IDHS and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will partner with a public university to conduct a comprehensive statewide study on food insecurity, filling the gap left by the USDA’s termination of the Annual National Household Food Insecurity Survey, the results of which have been available for over 20 years and help states understand hunger across communities.
- Supporting Local Grocers: In partnership with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA), the state will survey grocers statewide to assess the impact of federal changes, identify emerging food deserts, and strengthen support for independent grocery stores serving food-insecure communities.
- Interagency Collaboration: IDHS, HFS, Department on Aging, DoIT, and CMS will coordinate through the Governor’s Office to develop interagency strategies to mitigate harm from the federal SNAP cuts and ensure families continue to receive vital food assistance.
- Reducing Administrative Barriers: IDHS will analyze and address key drivers of Illinois’s SNAP Payment Error Rate (PER) to reduce costs tied to new federal funding formulas, while continuing to pursue waivers from the USDA to maintain SNAP access for as many residents as possible.
- Navigating New Work Requirements: The State will work with community partners to help SNAP recipients understand and comply with new federal work rules and avoid unnecessary benefit loss.
- Restoring Food Education: With the elimination of federal SNAP education funding, IDHS and ICTEH will identify Illinois’ food and nutrition education needs and develop recommendations to mitigate gaps.
- Public Awareness Campaign: IDHS will launch an educational and outreach campaign to keep community-based organizations, non-profits, and benefit recipients informed about SNAP changes, deadlines, and available supports.
TRUMP BUDGET BILL IMPACTS
Halting SNAP benefits in November marks the most recent and most extreme step in the Trump Administration punitive campaign of cuts to the program. Trump’s budget law (H.R. 1) enacts sweeping changes designed to make it harder to qualify for and administer benefits, making the future of food assistance benefits uncertain.
H.R. 1 restricts eligibility for lawful non-citizens, narrows exemptions from work requirements, and ties state funding obligations to payment error rates for the first time in the program’s 60-year history. Collectively, these changes are projected to jeopardize benefits for more than 340,000 residents.
In addition to feeding families, SNAP plays a critical role in Illinois’ economy, driving $1.3 billion in local retail activity and supporting over 18,000 grocery and related jobs statewide. The changes under H.R. 1 threaten not only families’ access to food but also the economic stability of local grocers and food retailers, particularly in underserved and rural areas.
For the most recent breakdown of SNAP recipients across Illinois, please see the following:
More like this:
- Most Popular
- Top Stories
- Most Recent
