Up To 140K In Illinois Will Lose SNAP Under New Trump Rule

ILLINOIS — Up to 140,000 residents of Illinois could lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits, according to multiple reports.

The change comes after President Donald Trump's administration announced a new rule that would remove able-bodied adults without dependents from the program. USDA chief Sonny Perdue, appointed by Trump, said the move is intended to get people back to work and not to kick them off the program, according to a CNBC report, but critics disagree.

The move is "incredibly harmful," according to Nolan Downey of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, ABC 7 Chicago reported. Downey said, "very simply put, it will take food off the tables from people who need it."

See the full text of the SNAP rule changes.

ABC 7 reported Gov. JB Pritzker criticized the policy as well. The president is using the "ugliest possible tactics to distract the American people from his impeachment," the governor said.

Reports say nearly 700,000 Americans will be removed from the program under the new rule.