Gov. Josh Stein: Loss of SNAP dollars could have dire consequences

Gov. Josh Stein issued a statement Thursday critical of proposed federal spending cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The governor said it would cost North Carolina $700 million to provide low-income residents with the current level of assistance if the cuts are made.

SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, help 1.4 million North Carolinians put food on the table, Stein said.

“If Congress goes forward with these plans, our state will be forced into perilous budget decisions – should North Carolinians lose access to food, or should we get rid of other essential services?,” Stein asked. “I urge our members of Congress to reject this budget proposal so that North Carolina families don’t go hungry.”

Currently, the federal government covers 100% of food benefits for SNAP participants. North Carolina footing $700 million in SNAP benefits for the first time would be the equivalent of 8,900 K-12 public school teacher positions, Stein said in the statement.

Stein has sent a letter to Congress laying out the implications for North Carolina if SNAP cuts move forward. Click here to read his letter.

Here’s how Stein said the loss of federal SNAP dollars would impact the state:

• Four in five families participating in SNAP in North Carolina have either a child, a senior, or an adult with a disability in the household.
• Each dollar used to pay for groceries through SNAP frees up household resources for other essential needs like rent, utilities or child care.
• SNAP contributes nearly $2.8 billion to North Carolina’s economy, and has a multiplier effect, with every $1 invested in SNAP benefits generating between $1.50 and $1.80 for local economies.
• SNAP cuts would mean people have less to spend at North Carolina’s more than 9,200 SNAP retailers, which would hurt farmers, the larger food distribution pipeline and local economies overall, especially in rural areas and small towns.

Stein said SNAP is playing a vital role in supporting western North Carolinians impacted by Hurricane Helene. He said the state’s 25 western counties most impacted by Helene still have higher enrollment in SNAP in April 2025 than they did in September 2024 before the storm hit.

Immediately after the storm, SNAP received 169,000 applications – the highest number of applications since Hurricane Florence in 2018, he said.

The U.S. House is proposing $300 billion in cuts to SNAP over the next 10 years. The program is one of the nation’s long-standing anti-poverty initiatives,. It helps more than 41 million of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens afford food.

In a message to supporters, the N.C. Budget and Tax Center said the GOP-proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid threaten the well-being of thousands of North Carolinians.

“As we consider what this proposal means to our communities and families here in North Carolina, we must be clear with our federal delegation — and particularly [North Carolina] Senators [Thom] Tillis and [Ted] Budd — that the House’s proposed plan to take away health care and food assistance from North Carolinians to fund tax cuts for the richest 1 percent is unacceptable.” the Budget and Tax Center said.