DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — The 'big beautiful bill' reduces Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding and changes who is eligible for the program, affecting thousands of Illinois residents. 

SNAP money can only be used to purchase food or groceries. Based on Congressional Budget Office estimates, 24,000 families in Central Illinois rely on SNAP to feed their families.

Governor JB Pritzker condemned the bill in a video posted to Facebook, saying the state will do what it can to supplement the funding.

"Hundreds of thousands more are going to lose food assistance for their families, for children. I don't understand the thinking of people in Congress who voted for this, but we're going to do everything we can to protect people in the state of Illinois," he said.

Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski also condemned the bill in a statement.

"From the very beginning, I have been clear about how devastating this bill is for our country—for single mothers relying on SNAP, for children dependent on Medicaid, and for everyone except the ultra-wealthy. It’s the working class who deserve tax relief—not billionaires," she said.

The SNAP-Ed program would also be threatened under the bill, which reaches 1,800 community programs in Illinois, serving nearly 1 million residents. These programs teach children, adults and the elderly about nutrition and cooking, and ensure they have access to fresh produce.

For smaller programs that rely on SNAP funding, it could mean decreasing services or even ending their food assistance programs overall.

Therefore, thousands of Central Illinois families who are at risk of losing SNAP benefits could be forced to rely on other organizations. Organizations that do not rely on SNAP funding could be asked to fill the void left by programs that are targeted to be cut.

President Donald Trump is planning a signing ceremony at the White House tomorrow, with a military flyover.

Copyright 2025. WAND TV. All rights reserved.