CHICAGO - Nearly 2 million Illinois residents could lose vital federal assistance to purchase food starting next month if the government shutdown continues.

What we know:

Federal officials with the Department of Agriculture told state governments that it won’t fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) starting on Nov. 1 if the shutdown continues.

About 1.9 million Illinois residents benefit from the program that’s 100% funded by the federal government, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services. So if the federal government doesn’t provide those funds, the state does not have the money to "backfill" those benefits.

The State of Illinois administers more than $350 million in SNAP benefits each month.

State officials said more than one-third of Illinois f

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