After prolonged threats to withhold November SNAP payments during the government shutdown, the Trump administration told NC officials that it would follow court orders to release partial funds.
North Carolina’s 1.4 million SNAP recipients will get some benefits this month, after all.
After prolonged threats to withhold November SNAP payments during the government shutdown, the Trump administration told NC officials that it would follow court orders to release partial funds, the state health department said on Wednesday.
In a press release on Tuesday, NC officials said the payments would be about half of the normal allotment and that recipients could see the funds on their EBT cards by next week.
“So beneficiaries should check the balances on their cards often,” the officials said.
While half is objectively more than none, the reduced payment will still put families at risk of going hungry.
President Trump’s tariffs and other inflationary factors have caused grocery prices to rise significantly over the last year, and they won’t be going down just because food aid has been reduced.
Five days into November, 60% of NC SNAP recipients had $25 or less in their accounts and more than 30% had less than a dollar, health officials said. More than 580,000 NC children rely on SNAP to eat.
Here’s how people in North Carolina are coping with the SNAP freeze
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