NC Counties Face SNAP Cost Spikes, Struggle to Balance Budgets

0:00It's March 24th. Welcome in. This is Durham News today, where local news meets AI. I'm Corey with the story. North Carolina's poorest counties are facing steep new costs to run the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, thanks to changes in A. Recent federal law. That law shifted more administrative expenses onto states and local governments, hitting rural areas hardest where poverty rates are highest. Things like Bladed now owe at least $397,000 extra, while Scotland needs $318,000, Columbus $416,000, Craven $672,000, and Robson over $1,000,000. Bigger spots like Cumberland face $3,000,000, and Mecklenburg could top $8,000,000. These counties have already slashed budgets by 14% this fiscal year, making it tougher to cover basics like staffing and processing. Applications for Food Aid. People share these numbers with the State Legislature's Oversight Committee. The federal shift comes after major tax reductions, mainly benefiting higher income households,

1:03with the biggest cuts going to the top earners. Working families saw smaller breaks, and low income ones took hits. State leaders are scrambling for solutions as the man for SNAP stays high in these struggling communities, raising questions about how to balance the. This without cutting services further.