On June 18, two North Carolina state senators published a letter urging Congress to delay the reductions to federal support of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enacted under the federal budget reconciliation bill, also called H.R. 1. As it currently stands, the legislation reduced federal funding for SNAP by $186 billion through 2034, which amounts to a roughly 20% cut — the largest in SNAP history.
The letter was signed by Sen. Jay J. Chaudhuri, D-Wake, and Sen. Jim Burgin, R-Harnett, Lee, Sampson. They were joined in their plea by several prominent state leaders of hunger relief and public health organizations, including President and CEO of Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina Amy Beros, Executive Director of North Carolina Alliance for Health Abby Carter Emanuelson, Founder and Executive Director of Meals4Familes Dr. Kate M. Hanson, and North Carolina Senior Manager of No Kid Hungry Marissa Spady.
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What’s happening to SNAP?
SNAP is a federal nutrition assistance program that provides food benefits to low-income families, helping them pay for groceries. Approximately 1.2 million North Carolinians rely on SNAP every month, including 544,000 children, according to the letter. Recent reductions in federal support for SNAP could significantly hinder their food access.
Previously, the federal government covered 100% of SNAP food benefits. However, starting in October 2027, H.R. 1 shifts a portion of that financial responsibility to the states if the state has a SNAP payment error rate (PER) over 6%. North Carolina’s most recent PER of 10.21% places it in the highest tier, potentially requiring the state to cover 15% of food benefits, or an estimated $420 million per year.
Additionally, beginning in October 2026, H.R. 1 requires states to take on a larger portion of the administrative costs of SNAP. According to the letter, additional costs to cover this increase annually are $69 million for county governments and $16 million for the state.
If the state is unable to meet these new financial burdens, SNAP could be significantly reduced or come to an end in North Carolina.
Cuts to SNAP also impact access to school meals, as fewer students would automatically qualify for free meals through direct certification, and fewer schools would be able to operate the Community Eligibility Provision, which provides free meals to all students.
Read more on SNAP
The letter
The letter calls on Congress to postpone H.R. 1’s SNAP benefit and administrative cost-sharing provisions, allowing the state to regroup and prepare more thoroughly for the changes.
“We respectfully urge Congress to delay SNAP benefit and administrative cost shares for all states until FY 2030, using FY 2027 Quality Control data, and include such provisions in any forthcoming Appropriation Bills or legislative vehicle,” reads the letter.
The reduction of federal support to North Carolina’s SNAP program is based primarily on the state’s PER. The PER is calculated annually and measures the accuracy of a state’s eligibility and benefits determinations, including overpayments and underpayments.
According to a recent report from the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center, most payment errors are “unintentional and can stem from administrative mistakes, data entry issues, missed household updates, or confusion about reporting requirements.”
In the June 18 letter, state leaders write that current payment error rates reflect a time of “disrupted data” and “unprecedented operational turmoil,” citing delayed implementation guidance and the federal government shutdown in fall 2025 that produced “rapidly shifting and conflicting guidance” on SNAP benefits. These circumstances generated “irregular statewide issuance patterns that are not reflective of stable or normal operations,” the letter writes.
Additionally, the letter describes how North Carolina is actively working to lower its PER. Already, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services has reduced the error rate from 10.21% to 7.01%.
Delaying the implementation timeline of H.R. 1’s cuts “would ensure that North Carolina and other states are held accountable based on conditions they can control, rather than penalized for unavoidable disruptions caused by federal actions,” said the letter.
Several other North Carolina officials have called for the deferral of SNAP cuts under H.R. 1.
“I’ve been calling on the federal government to delay implementation of H.R. 1 until fiscal year 2030 so that we states and the counties have adequate time to reduce our error rates, and to hold states harmless for the errors that occurred during the chaotic period of the federal government shutdown,” said Gov. Josh Stein. “We need the General Assembly to fully fund SNAP in the state budget because we cannot risk losing this program.”
On June 12, Attorney General Jeff Jackson, joined by a coalition of 23 other attorneys general across the country, called on Congress to restore SNAP benefits and eligibility protections in the upcoming Farm Bill. “Over a million people in our state depend on SNAP to afford groceries,” said Jackson. “We need to protect this program and make it easier for seniors, veterans, and working families to put food on the table.”
Chaudhuri and Bergin, in the letter, assure Congress that North Carolina is committed to working toward a more “accurate, effective, and fiscally responsible SNAP administration.” However, they ask that Congress consider the circumstances beyond the state’s control that contributed to high payment error rates, writing that applying financial penalties now would “strain the state and county budgets, and ultimately threaten program stability for the 1.2 million North Carolinians who depend on SNAP.”
Read the full letter here.
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