Federal SNAP food assistance remains a major national topic as the federal government recently signaled that it may withhold SNAP funding from states that do not provide requested program data. Illinois is among the states declining to comply with the federal request, even as the program faces ongoing scrutiny for rising error rates and limited transparency. Since 2017, Illinois’ error rate has nearly doubled, reaching 11.56 percent in 2024.

Federal officials say the data request is part of a broader effort to combat growing fraud within the nearly $100-billion-a-year program. Under recent federal law changes, states reporting error rates above 10 percent must repay 15 percent of the value of their SNAP benefits, a requirement that could place a significant financial burden on states where fraud and errors remain high.

The initial request for detailed SNAP data was issued earlier this year, prompting twenty-two states and the District of Columbia to file a lawsuit challenging the requirement. The federal government has since reiterated its expectations in a follow-up letter, stating that states have until December 8 to respond to the data request.