CHICAGO -- Nearly 2 million people in Illinois could lose federal food benefits ahead of Thanksgiving if Congress can't agree on a budget by the end of the month.

The Illinois Department of Human Services announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture has told states that Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will not be funded beginning Nov. 1 if the federal government shutdown continues into a second month. About 1.9 million people in Illinois receive SNAP benefits each month.

The federal government has been without a budget since Oct.1, making virtually no progress in negotiations over health care issues causing the stalemate. The shutdown is now one of the longest in history and if it extends beyond Nov. 4, would become the longest ever, surpassing a 35-day shutdown in Pres

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