The Brief Illinois starts giving out $400 one-time payments to thousands of residents who lost their SNAP benefits on Saturday. State officials blamed the Trump administration's Big Beautiful Bill for about 150,000 Illinois residents losing their benefits. Starting on Saturday, thousands of Illinois residents who were no longer eligible to receive benefits via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) were going to receive one-time $400 payments. State officials pointed to rule changes for SNAP eligibility in President Trump’s budget bill last year, resulting in nearly 150,000 Illinois residents losing their benefits. For eligible households who lost benefits after May 1, 2026, but before August 1, benefits will begin being deposited as a cash payment on Illinois Link cards by August 1, 2026.