JOLIET — State Senator Rachel Ventura is calling for the federal administration to end the ongoing government shutdown to prevent the cessation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits, come Nov. 1. Almost two million Illinois residents rely on SNAP to provide basic nutrition for themselves and their families.
"The food assistance SNAP provides keeps millions of people, including families with children, from going hungry," said Ventura (D-Joliet). "The fact that these benefits are now in jeopardy because of partisan infighting is unacceptable. I am calling on the federal administration to reinstate funding for SNAP before vulnerable people in Illinois and throughout the country are made to suffer."
SNAP provides critical support for children, seniors, veterans and individuals with disabilities, offering the nutrition they need to live healthy, productive lives. The federal government shutdown threatens to halt these benefits immediately, putting millions at risk of food insecurity – including the 39,131 people in the Ventura’s 43rd District who rely on SNAP benefits.
"Every day that goes by without resuming SNAP worsens this crisis," said Ventura. "The federal administration must act now to avoid the worst of the impact."
Ventura points residents of her district who may be experiencing food insecurity in the wake of these cuts to consult this map of food resources for the area at https://bit.ly/43foodmap.
