SHELBYVILLE, IL… State Representative Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) issued the following statement after Governor Pritzker shifted blame to congressional delegates and the Presidential Administration for Illinois’ errors in administering Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Illinois’ error rate was 11.56% in FY24 for SNAP. The error rate is calculated by dividing the total dollar amount of incorrect SNAP payments by the total SNAP payments made. Under a new federal law, states that exceed the 10% error rate will be required to reimburse the federal government for 15% of the costs to run the program annually. The Governor’s office estimates the penalty will cost taxpayers $705 million annually.
“Incredibly, Governor Pritzker’s first response was to dodge accountability and claim that larger states naturally have higher error rates. That’s not just false—it’s insulting,” said Rep. Halbrook. “In reality, states like California and Texas have lower error rates than Illinois. In fact, every state bordering Illinois— including Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Kentucky—has a lower error rate. So much for the ‘big state’ excuse.”
In response to the error rate exceeding the 10% threshold, Governor Pritzker deflected and said that Illinois is a big state and, therefore, large states just have a higher error rate. The Governor also accused congressional Republicans of wanting to dismantle safety net programs, like SNAP, and were doing so by enforcing a penalty for exceeding the threshold. According to the USDA, Illinois ranks among the 12 worst states for SNAP error rates.
“This isn’t about Republicans or federal policies — this is about mismanagement right here at home,” Halbrook continued. “Pritzker has been in office for six years. These errors occurred under his watch. The buck stops with him. He’d rather blame Congress than hold his own administration accountable.”
To read more about the error rates and compare states, visit FNS.USDA.gov. To contact Rep. Halbrook, please call (217) 342-0220 or visit RepHalbrook.com.
###