Government shutdown threatens SNAP benefits for 2 million in Illinois

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The ongoing government shutdown has reached its 27th day, making it the second longest in U.S. history. The House passed a continuing resolution in September, but it remains stalled in the Senate.

As the shutdown continues, nearly 2 million people in Illinois may lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by Saturday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is unable to release the funds due to legal restrictions during the shutdown.

Democratic Congressman Eric Sorensen (D-Illinois), who sits on the House Agriculture Committee, stated, “The funding exists. The funding is appropriated. But it is sitting in the USDA and they’re choosing not to give it out so it doesn’t really have anything to do with the government shutdown.”

Sorensen also mentioned that he sent a letter to Secretary Rawlins at the USDA demanding the release of the funds, stating, “This is an emergency. If they want to say, ‘oh we can’t release the funds because now it’s not an emergency.’ No, I would say that if parents are going to go without food for their children. That’s an emergency.”

The USDA has indicated that it cannot legally tap into disaster funds to release SNAP benefits during the shutdown. Sorensen argues that the situation constitutes an emergency, as many families rely on these benefits to feed their children.

Sorensen emphasized the need for bipartisan cooperation to resolve the shutdown, pointing out that Senate Democrats have voted multiple times not to reopen the government. He noted that Republicans control the House and need to negotiate with Senate Democrats to reach a resolution.

Sorensen expressed frustration with the lack of progress, stating, “I would rather be debating this on the floor of the House versus back at home talking to people at Save A Lot at West State Street trying to tell them that it’s gonna be OK.”

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WTVO. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WTVO staff before being published.