North Carolina Can’t Afford Trump’s SNAP Cuts
House Republicans have passed Trump’s domestic agenda, moving one step closer to enacting a plan that defunds Medicaid and SNAP in order to give massive tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy.
North Carolina would certainly feel MAGA’s Medicaid cuts, but layering SNAP cuts on top of it would be a devastating 1-2 punch to working class families who are already struggling to make ends meet.
The SNAP cuts are severe, amounting to roughly 30% of SNAP’s funding, an estimated $300 billion over ten years. SNAP serves over 40 million people, providing vital food assistance to working families, hungry children, aging seniors, and adults with disabilities. 1.4 million of those people live in North Carolina.
House Republicans are achieving these cuts by enacting strict, often impossible-to-meet work requirements. 64-year-olds, people living in areas with limited transportation or job opportunities, and single moms juggling child care responsibilities would need to work 80 hours a month to qualify for the program.
SNAP already requires many recipients to work at least 80 hours a month to qualify. And it’s already a lean program, with benefits averaging just $5.70 per person per day.
That’s just $1.90 per meal. Less than two bucks a meal for moms trying to feed ravenous teenagers. Just a couple of dollars for dads looking to put something healthy on the plate for their growing kids.
80% of North Carolina’s SNAP households include someone who is actively working. 66% of SNAP households in North Carolina include children. More than 46,000 North Carolina veterans benefit from SNAP, as well as 1 in 6 people living in rural areas or small towns.
And SNAP isn’t just a life-changing program for families, it’s a good investment in our state’s economy. Every $1 invested in SNAP generates between $1.50 and $1.80 for local economies. With 9,200 SNAP retailers across the state, the program has helped generate thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in wages.
Young children and hungry teenagers, aging seniors and disabled veterans, rural residents and urban dwellers, working parents and single parents– these are the faces of SNAP.
They’re your neighbors, the people in your apartment complex who are working two jobs just to pay the rent.
They’re the kids hustling after the bus, students who just need something in their stomach so that they can focus at school throughout the day.
They’re me and you. People who don’t want handouts, but could use a hand up just so that they can get back on their feet. People who are fighting like hell to make ends meet, to provide for their families, to give something back to their communities.
Call your reps, text your friends, wave your signs, write your newspaper, post to your story– do what you can to stand up against these cuts. Things are tough right now, but when we all stand together to uphold our values and support our neighbors, we win.
