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Last week, Gov. Josh Stein sent a letter to U.S. Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd laying out the consequences of the federal budget bill making its way through Congress for North Carolina families, including cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The letter also addresses cut to Medicaid.
Stein said the bill has serious implications for North Carolina’s families, local governments, and the economy.
Proposals to shift up to 25% of SNAP food benefit costs to the states would force North Carolina to come up with $700 million annually to make up the difference or cut vital nutrition services, according to the press release.
Rural counties, Stein said, are already stretched thin and cannot absorb these new requirements on top of the proposed increase in administrative cost sharing from 50% to 75%.
SNAP is an economic driver, said the letter, that adds nearly $2.8 billion directly to the state’s economy and supports farmers, grocers, and retailers — especially in rural communities.
Stein said the U.S. House Bill would “force the state to make an unacceptable tradeoff between providing essential food support and health insurance coverage or diverting resources from public schools, law enforcement, and economic development.”
Here is how many people in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties benefitted from SNAP in April 2025.
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