Hernandez-Crafted Budget Delivers Vital Funding to Local Food Banks to Combat Trump SNAP Cut

AURORA, Ill. — The fiscally responsible budget crafted by state Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, will release $20 million to Illinois food pantries to combat the Trump Administration’s cruel and irresponsible cut to SNAP assistance.

“The Trump Administration is punishing working people for its inability to run a government. Families already making hard choices—utility bills or rent, prescription drugs or groceries—are facing even more demanding decisions, and it’s tragic,” Hernandez said. “I won’t make false claims that a state can fully overcome the massive failings of the entire federal government, but the budget we crafted earlier this year was written with mechanisms that can provide vital aid to offset urgent needs like the loss of SNAP assistance.”

The fiscally and socially responsible budget Hernandez helped craft in May includes a number of tools to meet short-term disruptions in federal funding, anticipating the chaotic leadership and deliberate cruelty of the Trump Administration. Among those tools are a $100 million reserve fund, and flexibility to transfer funds to meet urgent needs. Last week, Illinois transferred $20 million in funding to support seven food banks that supply over 2,600 food pantries across Illinois.

More than 1.8 million people in Illinois will lose access to federal food assistance on Nov. 1 as a result of Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to completely shut off the 100% federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

To access emergency food assistance in Kane County, please visit the Northern Illinois Food Bank at solvehungertoday.org/get-groceries-resources. To find resources in DuPage County, please visit solvehungertoday.org.