Pritzker Executive Order Sends $20M To IL Food Banks

Editor's Note: Updated Oct. 31 after a ruling from two federal judges.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed an executive order directing $20 million to food banks around the state, an effort to provide support amid an anticipated increased public need for their services during an expected halt on SNAP funding.

But on Friday, two federal judges nearly simultaneously ordered the Trump Administration to cover SNAP benefits with contingency funds.

The rulings came a day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments during the ongoing government shutdown.

It wasn't immediately clear how quickly the debit cards beneficiaries use to buy groceries can be reloaded after the ruling, a process that often takes one to two weeks.

Pritzker's order came as nearly 2 million Illinoisans faced losing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, on Nov. 1.

"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," Pritzker said in a news release. "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."

The funding from the executive order was set to support seven food banks that supply more than 2,600 food pantries statewide, according to a release. One in five Chicago area households experiences food insecurity, the Greater Chicago Food Depository estimates.

“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,” Pritzker said in a statement. “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.”

Illinois residents who receive federal food aid won’t get their November benefits as the ongoing federal shutdown continues, The Department of Agriculture announced earlier this week.

The Department of Agriculture posted a notice on its website after the Trump administration said it would not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November. That program helps about one in eight Americans buy groceries.

“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA notice said. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats.”

The analysis of USDA Food and Nutrition Service data by the non-partisan research group that focuses on federal and state policies to reduce poverty and inequality also shows that 1,935,600 Illinois residents, that’s 15 percent of the state population (1 in 7), depend on benefits to keep food on the table.

According to the data, more than 60 percent of SNAP participants in Illinois are families with children, and 33 percent have family members who are elderly or disabled. In the fiscal year 2022, most Illinois SNAP participants have incomes below the poverty line, according to the data.

In 2024, participants in Illinois received $4.47 billion in benefits, averaging approximately $192 for each household member per month.

The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, is now the second-longest on record. While the Republican administration took steps leading up to the shutdown to ensure SNAP benefits were paid this month, the cutoff would expand the impact of the impasse to a wider swath of Americans — and some of those most in need — unless a political resolution is found in time.

Pritzker in a press conference Thursday lambasted the federal government and President Trump.

"… They’ve done something insidious, the federal government," he said. "In addition to Donald Trump being willing to turn off SNAP benefits on November 1—when they do have emergency funds available at the US Department of Agriculture—but they’ve done something even more insidious. They’ve decided to shut down the SNAP machines, so that they can’t be used. So even if we were to put money into SNAP accounts, they couldn’t be accessed by someone who has a SNAP card. Just wanted to point that out.

"… We’re using whatever methods we have to feed people, and that’s to support pantries, support organizations out there that are providing meals for people. … We’re hoping that this doesn’t have to go on too terribly long. November 1 may come and go, but there’s November 2, 3, 4, and so on. Our hope is that the President will come to his senses, and understand that there are people who will otherwise starve, or be deprived, as a result of his policies.”

The Greater Chicago Food Depository on Tuesday issued a statement on the shutdown's impact on SNAP.

"If SNAP is disrupted, communities in every part of the United States will experience an immediate hunger crisis," the statement reads. "Nonprofit food pantries – already stretched thin – will be overwhelmed with unprecedented demand. Grocery stores will see a rapid decrease in sales and revenue, putting businesses and jobs at risk across the food supply chain. The effects will be disastrous for families, local economies, and the health of communities. People will go hungry, including children, older adults and veterans.

"For every meal provided by the Feeding America network of food banks, SNAP provides the equivalent of nine meals. We are proud of our impact and our ability to respond in times of crisis, but we cannot grow nine times in size. We implore the federal government to fulfill a promise it has kept since the food stamp act of 1964 – don’t allow SNAP to be disrupted due to a government shutdown, not even for a day."

The depository guides anyone in need of food assistance to find a program near them by visiting the Find Food page of our website. SNAP participants are encouraged to frequently check this Illinois Department of Human Services webpage for updates and enroll in IDHS text messages by calling 1-800-843-6154.

Related: South Suburban Food Pantries Brace For Surge As SNAP Benefits Pause On Saturday