With SNAP cuts looming, Democrats and advocates urge NC General Assembly to act

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Step into the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina on any given day, and volunteers can be seen busy at work packing food, because nowadays, busy is the norm.

“Even at the height of the pandemic, we are seeing more hunger today than we had seen at that time,” Amy Beros, the president and CEO of the food bank, said.

That rush is now coupled with fear about cuts to SNAP benefits and food assistance programs after Congress passed President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill.

“These cuts are not hypothetical, they’re not symbolic, they’re a direct attack on working families,” Senator Lisa Grafstein said at a press conference at the food bank on Wednesday.

President Trump’s bill implements cost-saving changes to the SNAP program starting in 2026. Back in 2021, President Joe Biden expanded the program with a price tag of about $19 billion.

In a statement, NCGOP leaders said President Trump’s bill “restores SNAP to serve the truly needy while ending fraud and waste within the system.”

Gregory Jones knows firsthand what it’s like to need the help. He’s been a SNAP recipient, he says, his entire life.

“Without it, the question too often became, do we eat tonight or do we pay the utility bill?” Jones said.

He and Democratic lawmakers are urging the General Assembly to step in now and make sure these programs are funded in North Carolina, and that food stays on the table.

“Cuts to SNAP aren’t just budget line items; they are a fast track to greater poverty, more houselessness, and worsening public health,” Jones said.

Senator Grafstein says she hasn’t heard directly from Republicans, who control both the state House and Senate. She did say that on calls about the cuts, Republicans did not seem concerned.

“I don’t know how we got to a place where we have to have a press conference about the fact that it’s a good idea to make sure children have food; this should not be a partisan or political or controversial issue,” Senator Grafstein said.