North Carolina faces potential $600 million bill from Congress to feed hungry children

WASHINGTON — Earlier this month, Gov. Josh Stein made an impassioned plea to North Carolina’s congressional delegation.

“Reject this budget proposal so that North Carolina families don’t go hungry,” Stein wrote in a statement released May 8.

Stein was reacting to proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that could take away the ability of 1.4 million North Carolinians, including children, the elderly, the disabled and low-income working adults, to be able to put food on their tables.

But early Thursday morning, as many were just waking up, Republican House members representing North Carolina in Congress were going against the Democratic governor’s request.

One Big Beautiful Bill

At 6:56 a.m., the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed the House in a 215-214-1 vote, along party lines, with the exception of three Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, and Warren Davidson, of Ohio, who voted with Democrats, and Rep. Andy Harris, of Maryland, who voted “present.”

Currently, the federal government pays 100% of SNAP benefits and shoulders 50% of the administrative costs, with North Carolina officials paying the other half.

But the bill proposes North Carolina now takes on 5% of the benefits, which would be $140 million. But Congress also put into the bill penalties for payment error rates that would force states to pay between 15% and 25%. Rep. Alma Adams’ team said looking at the state’s payment error rate, they estimate North Carolina will take on $548 million per year in benefit costs.

The state is also expected to take on 75% of administrative costs, currently set at 50%, an estimated increase of around $68 million.

“In North Carolina, this bill would mean putting the food security of 1.4 million SNAP recipients in jeopardy,” Adams, a Charlotte Democrat, said in a news release. “Our farmers and small business owners, the backbone of North Carolina’s economy, will find it even harder to make ends meet. My constituents will suffer so Republicans can make people like Elon Musk even richer.”

Another Charlotte lawmaker, Republican Rep. Mark Harris, defended the bill in a news release, focusing on its stricter work requirements to qualify for SNAP.

The bill “emphasizes the importance, and dignity, of work by requiring able-bodied Americans to work in order to be eligible for Medicaid and food assistance,” Harris said.

Stein had told the delegation that as he looked over the various proposals as the bill came together, he believed North Carolina could end up with a cost close to $700 million. He estimated that to be around 8,900 teaching salaries, and Rep. Valerie Foushee, a Democrat from Hillsborough, said that’s the budget for all of the Department of Public Safety.

“North Carolina’s state budget simply cannot absorb this cost, which would force our state to cut already modest benefits, limit eligibility, or both,” Stein wrote.

The bill did not become law Thursday.

It still needs to go before the Senate, which will likely make adjustments and send it back to the House before it reaches the president’s desk. It’s likely weeks away from passage, giving time for Stein and constituents who agree with him to call their lawmakers.

Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat from Raleigh, said in a news release that “if Senate Republicans have any common sense or common decency, they will immediately toss the House bill in the trash, never to be seen again.”

Cuts to SNAP

Members of the House have spent months working in various committees figuring out ways to cut spending in order to implement some of the campaign promises President Donald Trump made during the 2024 election.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act would raise the debt ceiling by $2.4 trillion, increase funding for the military and border security and continue tax credits Congress set in 2017 during the first Trump administration.

To offset those costs, Congress would make cuts and changes to many social safety net programs like SNAP and Medicaid.

Opponents of the bill say it essentially gives to the rich and takes from the poor.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took to the floor to criticize the bill just hours after it passed the House. He warned that kids will go hungry, food pantries will close and because Republicans decided to start the changes to SNAP next year, there would be little time for either to prepare.

“Republicans are stealing from hungry kids, stealing from low-income families to give trillions in tax giveaways to the wealthy,” Schumer said. “This is not beautiful. It’s ugly. It’s revolting.”

Who is affected?

Across the country, 41 million people are enrolled in SNAP, with 80% being children, elderly or disabled. SNAP benefits are used by 13% of North Carolina’s population.

Of that group, 66% of participants are children. Another 34% have a family member in the home who is elderly or disabled and 46% are working families, according to the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, which is critical of cuts to the program.

UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía also urged Congress to reject the bill, saying in a news release that it would “make life harder for most Americans.” Ten million Latinos across the country use SNAP, which provides $6.20 a day for food.

Murguía worried that shifting the cost to the states would increase taxes and take away funding to schools and law enforcement, or lawmakers would have to choose to take away food from families.

“No Congress should balance the budget by making children go hungry,” Murguía’s news release stated.

The bill would raise the age of people on the program required to work from 55 to 65. It would also lower the age of children, from 18 to 7, who allowed their parents to qualify for an exemption. The exemption is still in place if a second adult in the home is complying with work requirements.

The bill also became more restrictive on the number of state-authorized exemptions to work requirements that are allowed based on unemployment rates and insufficient jobs in a county.

Economic impact

There’s also the economic impact to consider.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that every $1 in SNAP benefits generates $1.50 in economic activity. Stein said that SNAP produces $2.8 billion in benefits in North Carolina.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said in a fact sheet that SNAP benefits can be used at 9,200 retailers across the state. The majority is spent at supermarkets or superstores, the agency said.

Thirty of North Carolina’s 100 counties have two or fewer supermarkets or superstores that accept SNAP benefits, and a high portion of those stores’ customers are SNAP recipients.

The National Grocers Association credits SNAP for creating 7,772 jobs across the country and providing $281 million in wages. NCDHHS said cutting SNAP would make it harder for these stores to maintain jobs or even keep their businesses open.

The agency also found that SNAP frees up household funds to spend on rent, utilities and medicine.

Helene relief

There’s an extra layer of discomfort for North Carolinians in potential changes to the SNAP program.

After Helene struck Western North Carolina in September 2024, the program saw the highest number of applications since Hurricane Florence in 2018. The 25 counties hit by Helene saw an increase of 13,400 SNAP beneficiaries.

“SNAP provides quick, targeted food assistance to the most vulnerable, following disasters,” the report from NCDHHS said. “The program is one of the fastest forms of economic stimulation, infusing money into the economy quickly during a downturn — supporting grocery stores, farmers and workers.”

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