Food Stamp Cuts To Affect 2 Million Illinois Residents
By Chuck Sudo in Food on Nov 1, 2013 8:40PM
A temporary boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that was part of the Obama administration’s 2009 stimulus package expired Thursday. Starting today, millions of Americans will have to make do with less in food stamp assistance.
Nearly $45 billion was earmarked for the SNAP program to offset higher demand for assistance during the Great Recession. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates the expiration of that boost will affect nearly 47 million Americans, including 22 million children, who receive food stamps across the country.
In Illinois the reduction in SNAP assistance will affect nearly 2 million residents. Cuts will vary based on family size but a family of four in Illinois currently receiving the maximum benefit of $668 per month will now receive $632 in food stamps. A single person on SNAP assistance receiving the maximum of $200 per month will see their assistance drop to $189.
It may seem like a small reduction but for many families and individuals that could mean the difference between paying rent or utilities. Single mother Lisa Otis told CBS 2, “Do I have to tell my 13-year-old ‘hold off on making that peanut butter and jelly sandwich, we’ve got to make that loaf of bread last.’ You don’t want to tell these kids that.”
The cut in funding also means some families will rely even more on groups like the Greater Chicago Food Depository and their network of food pantries. CGFD spokesman Paul Morello said Food Depository pantries served 5.5. million people in Cook County last year and visits to food pantries have increased 70 percent in the past five years.
“The face of hunger is changing. We’re seeing people who have jobs, who maybe own their home, who maybe own a car, but who simply have lost their job, who’ve seen their hours cut back,” he said. “I’ve talked to a number of people who have said, ‘You know, I have two jobs.’ I’ve talked to some people who say they have three jobs, and they still can’t make ends meet.”
The expiration of the temporary funding is part of $5 billion in across the board cuts to SNAP that is split among political party lines. Supporters of the cuts point to SNAP as a glaring example of deficit reduction. Opponents say SNAP needs to be protected as the country’s economic recovery isn’t happening fast enough for the families who rely on food stamps.