By The American Tribune | Created at 2026-06-21 10:23:35 | Updated at 2026-06-21 12:19:10
2 hours ago
President Trump’s administration has instituted new rules regarding welfare use in an attempt to push America back into working jobs rather than relying on handouts from the government. In particular, his administration has focused on cracking down on fraud and abuse of programs like Medicaid while also instituting new work eligibility rules for programs like SNAP/EBT, requiring those on food stamps to work at least a few hours a day, or engage in education, training, or volunteer work for a similar amount of time, to maintain eligibility.
Specifically, the new work requirements state that any able-bodied and mentally sound adults between the ages of 18-64 without dependents under the age of 14 years old, must engage in either paid or unpaid employment, volunteering, or participating in a government-run work program for a total of 80 hours a month in order to receive benefits. This rule change and the fraud crackdown have already kicked millions off of the SNAP rolls.
Amongst those states that have seen a massive decline in EBT use is the far-left blue state of Illinois, where Gov. Pritzker angrily revealed that well over 100,000 state residents have been booted off the rolls thanks to President Trump, doing so in a statement in which he also vowed to do all he could to help as many people access welfare as possible, which hardly seems like the original intent of these programs.
Clutching its pearls about the situation in a news release, the Pritzker government said, “SNAP has been a permanent, 100% federally funded food benefit for more than 60 years. Trump’s budget bill takes food off of family’s tables and for the first time in the program’s history, passes costs onto states — threatening food benefits for families, jeopardizing jobs, grocery stores, retail merchants, and local economies.”
Continuing, after describing the work eligibility rules, the Pritzker administration said, “The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans dramatically expanded the number of people who are considered Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) and are therefore required to meet work requirements. ABAWDs may only receive SNAP for three months in a three-year period if they are not working. This provision began on February 1, 2026 — making May 1 the date when many Illinoisans may lose coverage.”
Then, getting to the number of Illinois residents affected by the rule change, the statement Pritzker’s office issued said, “The 150,000 ABAWD individuals estimated to be at risk of losing benefits have not yet submitted documentation of work, training, volunteering, or an exemption.” The Chicago Times, however, claimed that a slightly different number–120,000–were impacted by the change.
Angrily denouncing the idea that welfare recipients ought be expected to work at least a little bit if they are to rely on taxpayer largesse, Gov. Pritzker himself said, “For 60 years, Americans across the country have relied on federal food assistance to prevent them from going hungry. Now, as the cost of groceries, gas, and utilities are all rising, Donald Trump is ripping away food assistance from Illinoisans.”
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On much the same note, IDHS Secretary Dulce M. Quintero said, “SNAP is an extremely important lifeline for people across Illinois and provides them with nutritious meals when they need it most. The federal government continues to find new ways to implement cruel policies that take vital benefits away from Illinoisans. At IDHS, we continue to expand resources for our SNAP customers to meet new federal work requirements and give people more opportunities to keep their benefits.”
Watch irate taxpayers sound off on EBT being used for fast food:
