North Carolinians saw partial SNAP payments come in but it’s not enough, AG Jackson says

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson visited the Food Bank of Central & Eastern N.C. in Raleigh Friday to volunteer and talk about his lawsuit against the USDA over SNAP benefits. 

Jackson sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week over the delays in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the federal government shutdown. November benefits for 1.4 million North Carolinians have yet to be delivered, leaving those families without the help they need to put food on the table.

He said that after “winning” the lawsuit, North Carolina is now fighting over what the remedy will look like after the USDA agreed to issue 50% of the payments. Jackson’s department is seeking to bring the case to court again to have USDA issue the full payment. 

As a result of the lawsuit, Jackson added that as of early Friday morning, SNAP payments began going into the EBT cards of North Carolinians. Beneficiaries an average of 50% of their expected payments, but some saw up to 65% depending on their eligibility. 

A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered President Trump’s administration Thursday to fully fund SNAP benefits for November by Friday. 

However, just before Jackson’s appearance at the food bank, the Trump administration asked a federal appeals court for an emergency pause on this order, saying that because of the shutdown, there is only enough money to pay partial benefits for November. 

The administration agreed earlier this week to use roughly $4.65 billion in contingency funds to cover 65% of the benefits for eligible households, but it could not draw from additional funds set aside for child nutrition programs to fully fund SNAP. 

The Associated Press reported that if the shutdown continues into December, there is not a plan for funding at all. 

When asked what the state would do if the government’s contingency funds dry up, Jackson he’d ask the state legislature to fill the gap in funding. North Carolina would need over $200 million a month to replace the SNAP funds that usually come from the federal government. 

“There are other buckets of money that the agricultural department has access to, that’s the argument we’re making to the court,” Jackson continued. 

It is very clear that before that happens, the shutdown needs to come to an end. We need to get the negotiators in the room, so that we’re not faced with the worst case scenario of this emergency fund running out, and people face zero dollars to buy groceries.Attorney General Jeff Jackson

Amy Beros, the president and CEO of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC, added that even before the shutdown, the organization saw record-breaking need and more hunger than they’ve experienced in serving 34 counties over two decades. 

“[This shutdown] has been an added level,” Beros said. “Our partners were reporting before the shutdown, they were seeing anywhere between 20 and 60 percent increases [in demand for food assistance] month after month. Now we have our federal employees who have not received paychecks that may be accessing the system for the first time.”

Beros added that even though partial benefits were received Friday, the reality is that those partial benefits will not meet the needs for the full month. 

Jackson said that even as some money is going into the pockets of North Carolinians, he is still showing up at food banks and encouraging others to do so, as his department expects record-high demand this month.

Both he and Beros urge those who can to volunteer at their local food banks and to make the monetary donations they can. Those who are looking for food banks for themselves can visit foodbanknc.org. 

“We know how difficult it is to ask for help, but we are here to partner with you, all of our neighbors, no matter what,” Beros said. “It takes hundreds of volunteers every single day and it takes your monetary support to make sure every neighbor does not have to worry about their next meal.” 

WRAL’s Carly Haynes contributed to this reporting.