Cook County and Illinois leaders and advocates decry federal changes to SNAP benefits
Leaders from Cook County, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository denounced changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Wednesday.
The changes will likely make it harder for people to get SNAP benefits.
"Food is not a luxury. Food is, in fact, the most basic of human needs, and I believe a human right," said Kate Maehr, chief executive officer of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, "and yet for so many people in this community, in this state, in this country, it is a challenge every day to make sure that there is food — healthy, nutritious food — available for our neighbors who need it."
Starting Feb. 1, people who do not have a dependent younger than 14 years of age will need to work or volunteer for 80 hours a month to get SNAP benefits, or apply for an exemption.
SNAP participants who do not qualify for an exemption will need to prove they have met the work requirements, or else they will lose their benefits.
SNAP recipients who can't meet the work requirements will be limited to three months of benefits over three years before they lose benefits entirely. The Greater Chicago Food Depository estimated that at least 450,000 SNAP recipients could lose their benefits May 1.
Meanwhile, starting in April, some immigrants with humanitarian protections will lose SNAP eligibility.
"When food access is threatened, the consequences are immediate and profound. The upcoming federal changes to SNAP eligibility will have real and lasting impacts on thousands of Cook County residents," Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said at a news conference at Provident Hospital of Cook County. "These cuts to food assistance represent a significant step backwards. They do not reflect the realities of today's economy. Under the Trump administration, the cost of living has continued rise, while job creation is stagnated. Families are being squeezed in every direction, and now, the federal government is proposing to take away one of the most effective tools we have to prevent hunger."
Preckwinkle said no one in Cook County should have to choose between paying rent, paying for medicine, and paying for food.
Leaders from the Cook County Health, the State of Illinois, and charitable food systems are stepping in, Preckwinkle said.
"Cook County will continue to do everything in our power to protect residents from the worst impacts of these changes," Preckwinkle said. "We believe access to nutritious food is a public good, and a public responsibility."
Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Dulce Quintero said Illinois is sending notices about the changes in work requirements for SNAP benefits, and is distributing exemption forms. IDHS is also helping SNAP recipients secure work and volunteer opportunities.
"No one should lose access to food because the rules are confusing and because they didn't know where to turn," Quintero said at the news conference. "That's why Illinois is preparing and acting."
Changes to SNAP were approved by President Trump's massive spending bill signed into law in July 2025.