About 100,000 Illinoisans will lose food stamps under a rule change finalized by the Trump administration this week.
The rule change to the SNAP program, as food stamps are now called, takes effect in April. It will make it harder for states to waive work and time limit requirements for able-bodied adults to receive assistance.
Melissa Young of the Chicago-based Heartland Alliance said the majority of those who will lose eligibility are working, but underemployed or facing barriers to getting a job.
“This rule will absolutely hit those who have historically been, and to continue to be marginalized, left out and denied opportunity,” said Young.
Meanwhile, an Illinois based policy analyst at the conservative Foundation for Government Accountability said the change will benefit both the economy and the individual.
USDA officials say the rule would save roughly $5.5 billion over five years and cut benefits for about 688,000 recipients. Congressional Democrats and advocates for the poor were quick to condemn the administration’s actions.
