120,000 Illinoisans may lose SNAP food assistance starting Friday due to work requirements

Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune on May 1, 2026

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CHICAGO — As many as 120,000 Illinoisans could lose access to food assistance beginning Friday due to new work requirements from the federal government, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services.

To remain eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP or food stamps, “able-bodied” adults aged 18 to 64 who don’t have children under 14 must work, volunteer or participate in approved training or education programs for at least 80 hours per month, the state agency said.

“SNAP is an extremely important lifeline for people across Illinois and provides them with nutritious meals when they need it most,” said IDHS Secretary Dulce Quintero. “The federal government continues to find new ways to implement cruel policies that take vital benefits away from Illinoisans.”

The new work requirements went into effect Feb. 1 under President Donald Trump’s sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Illinois previously had a waiver for work requirements due to the state’s high unemployment rate.

Those who don’t meet the work requirements can only receive food stamps for three months in a three-year period — meaning time will have run out by May 1, according to IDHS. Thousands of immigrants in Illinois also were expected to lose access to SNAP benefits because of changes to the program.

“For 60 years, Americans across the country have relied on federal food assistance to prevent them from going hungry,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a news release. “Now, as the cost of groceries, gas, and utilities are all rising, Donald Trump is ripping away food assistance from Illinoisans.”

Trump’s tax and spending bill expanded work requirements nationally, which previously only applied to adults aged 18 to 54 who are physically and mentally able to work and don’t have dependents under age 18. It also repealed work exemptions for homeless individuals and veterans.

SNAP participants who qualify for work-requirement exemptions — like having a child under 14 or a medically certified disability — should still alert IDHS as soon as possible, said Danielle Perry, vice president of policy, advocacy and community engagement at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

The state has a screening tool to help people determine whether they are exempt or not.

Perry also encouraged people to reapply for SNAP benefits if they are able to meet the 80-hour work requirement in May. She said individuals can manage their case online at abe.illinois.gov or by speaking to a caseworker.

“At the end of May apply and show you got those 80 hours, and then they will put you back on for June,” Perry said. “That is possible and that’s what we should be focusing on at this moment.”

Perry said the Greater Chicago Food Depository is expecting larger lines at the city’s food pantries as the need for food increases, similar to the increases they experienced late last year during the government shutdown. She called it “absolutely devastating” that so many could go hungry.

“For every meal we can provide at a pantry or a soup kitchen or a shelter, SNAP provides nine,” she said. “So we are going to feel this … Some kids are going to go to school without meals. Some elders in our community also could lose meals.”

Kenneth Robinson, then 61, told the Tribune in January that he may be unable to meet new work requirements. He volunteers about five hours a week at Chosen Bethel Family Ministries’ food pantry, but struggles to find a consistent job because of his criminal record.

He said he was trusting in God to find a solution.

“I do want to work. I do want to add to my legacy and be a part of other people’s lives and be a part of society,” he said. “So I volunteer. It’s the only place that will have me to work.”

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