Introduction to the Crisis
Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Saturday directing additional city resources to local organizations and businesses affected by the lapse in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program amid the historic 43-day government shutdown. Speaking Saturday during a food distribution event at Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, 5500 W. Madison St. in Austin, Johnson said, “My administration is implementing emergency procedures to ensure safety and security for Chicagoans that are navigating cuts to SNAP and the delays in food assistance and necessary care due to the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history.”
The Executive Order
Johnson said the order “mobilizes city departments and allows us to partner with philanthropic partners to get food into the neighborhoods where it is needed most.” Johnson also announced a micro-grant program to support local retailers and restaurants that have been “hit by the one-two punch of reduced SNAP purchasing power, fear-driven drops in foot traffic from escalated immigration enforcement, and rising requests for free and donated goods.”
Impact of the Government Shutdown
It wasn’t immediately clear specifically how much in resources was being directed to businesses. The mayor’s office didn’t immediately return a request for follow-up comment. Johnson is currently trying to put his 2026 proposed budget to bed by Thanksgiving amid opposition to his plan to impose a corporate head tax. Lead steward Anton Seals of Grow Greater Englewood said the executive order would allow organizers to meet the needs of the community. “People need food, so it cannot just be a for-profit mission,” he said. “It’s also about public health. The impact on the nutrition that people are able to get is super-important, so we have to continuously do better.”
SNAP Funding and Its Effects
SNAP funds in Illinois and across the country were delayed and then reduced during the shutdown. President Donald Trump signed a bill Wednesday night that funds SNAP through next September. The signing came after federal officials said in October that the U.S. Department of Agriculture would not fund SNAP benefits in November due to the shutdown, setting off a chaotic situation that unfolded in court as two dozen states, including Illinois, sued the Trump administration over its withhold funding amid the shutdown.
Community Response
Food pantries across the Chicago area were unable to match the need created by the $350 million lapse in monthly federal funding for people and families across the state, creating “unnecessary hardship,” state officials have said. Johnson said his executive order would also address the SNAP “benefits cliff.” “Even as the federal government reopens, families who rely on SNAP will face steep challenges in December because of this nasty bill that was passed over the summer,” Johnson said, referring to Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
<img class="Image" alt="Lead Steward L. Anton Seals, Jr. stands at an emergency food giveaway organized by his organization, Grow Greater Englewood, and the Englewood Food Sovereignty Network in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository on the South Side, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. | Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times." srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0f1abbf/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192×5464+0+0/resize/840×560!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F0e%2Fdd%2F526b69224a7bbefced8f872793c0%2Fsnap-111625-014.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/36f2f22/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192×5464+0+0/resize/1680×1120!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F0e%2Fdd%2F526b69224a7bbefced8f872793c0%2Fsnap-111625-014.jpg 2x" width="840" height="560" src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0f1abbf/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192×5464+0+0/resize/840×560!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
