Quigley, Budzinski Slam Upcoming SNAP Changes Due to Big Ugly Bill
Today, Congressman Mike Quigley (IL-05) and Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) led every Democratic member of the Illinois congressional delegation in a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins expressing concerns with the implementation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) changes enacted through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. They urged the administration to provide states maximum flexibility to ensure that eligible individuals do not lose critical food assistance due to rushed or unclear federal requirements.
The lawmakers emphasized that new paperwork requirements for veterans, young adults who have aged out of foster care, caregivers of children ages 14 to 17, and adults ages 55 to 64 will worsen food insecurity in Illinois and nationwide.
The members wrote, “In Illinois, an estimated 360,000 people who rely on SNAP will be affected by these and other changes from the new law—nearly one in five current participants. These are Illinoisans in rural and urban communities alike. Research consistently shows that SNAP’s harsh work requirement does not increase employment or earnings. Instead, losing access to food assistance will deepen food insecurity, worsen health outcomes, and increase poverty for the affected populations.”
They also emphasized concerns with the cost and feasibility of implementing these changes according to the timeline laid out by the Trump administration.
“Expecting states to overhaul their SNAP systems in a matter of weeks, absent sufficient guidance and while facing an impending 25 percent cut to administrative funding, places an unrealistic burden on state agencies and the families they serve. The immediate result will likely be delays, confusion, and preventable loss of benefits for eligible individuals at a time when budgets are already stretched thin due to rising costs,” the members continued.
The letter is signed by Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Congressman Mike Quigley (IL-05), Congressman Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Congresswoman Laura Underwood (IL-14), Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Congresswoman Robin L. Kelly (IL-02), Congressman Bradley Scott Schneider (IL-10), Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Congressman Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11), Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Congressman Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17), and Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06).
The full text of the letter can be found HERE.
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