When the North Carolina General Assembly reconvenes next month for its 2026 session, one subject on the table will be how best to apportion an additional $85 million in SNAP administrative costs between the state and its counties.
As several provisions of the reconciliation bill Congress passed last year come into effect, the North Carolina General Assembly may have to appropriate as much as $659 million a year to maintain the state’s participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), what used to be called Food Stamps. That’s a huge increase. Our state...
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses North Carolina’s health care funding challenges linked to the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Kokai offered these comments during the Jan. 16, 2026, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joining Democratic counterparts in other states in a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration. It focuses on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Kokai offered these comments during the Oct. 31, 2025, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
Ahead of two federal judges’ separate rulings on Friday that the Trump administration must use a $6 billion emergency fund to fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, as it is set to pause on Saturday due to the federal government shutdown, North Carolina and others are donating nearly $18 million to food banks across the state.
A month into the shutdown, Democrats and Republicans remain deadlocked over federal spending, leaving critical programs and North Carolina families caught in the middle.
About $83 million and over 290,000 payments in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were delayed in NC from 2021 to 2024, according to an audit from the NC Office of the State Auditor.
As NC GOP reps backed Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Bill," Gov. Josh Stein fired off a letter urging them to oppose it.
“While on the surface, this may be in the best interest of trimming national debt and so forth, the implication for North Carolina is severe and very real.”
Surveys show that 81% of Americans agree with work requirements for able-bodied recipients of Medicaid and two-thirds favor them for nutrition assistance.
Grocery dollars don't stretch like they used to. However, for low-income families at the Wilmington Farmers Market, their dollar goes just a bit further thanks to the "Double Bucks" program, which doubles SNAP/EBT benefits for shoppers. The program is paid for through local community fundraising.
