SNAP recipients react to possible federal funding cuts from 'One Big, Beautiful Bill'

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- It's a quiet Tuesday afternoon at the State Farmer's Market, where Rachel Kelley works at a food stand.

"Times are really hard and I actually live at home with my parents and my three kids. I really rely on Snap and EBT a lot. Being a single mom, it's hard to make ends meet," said Kelley.

Last week, the US House passed the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" by a single vote, largely along party lines.

"What this bill is going to do is be jet fuel to the U.S. economy, foster a pro-growth economy. What do we mean by that? We reduce taxes, reduce regulations. We will increase and incentivize American manufacturing. The effect it will have on the economy is that entrepreneurs and risk takers and job creators will have an easier time in doing that. They will allow for more jobs and more opportunity for people and wages will increase," said House Speaker Mike Johnson, during an interview with CBS' Face the Nation.

However, SNAP recipients in North Carolina expressed concerns over federal funding cuts to the program, which the Congressional Budget Office pegs at nearly $300 billion through 2034.

"What we would see is upwards of $700 million a year of funding for SNAP decrease in the state of North Carolina. And so if there is no back fill, which there currently isn't, what you would then see is a reduction in benefits, a reduction in eligibility potentially," said NCDHHS Secretary Dr. Dev Sangvai.

According to NCDHHS, more than 1.4 million North Carolinians utilize SNAP, including one in six in rural areas or small towns and one in nine in metro areas.

One report published in the American Journal of Public Health found that older adults' participation in SNAP was associated with fewer hospital and long-term care admissions and emergency department visits, and an estimated Medicaid cost-savings of $2,360 per person annually.

"We know that if individuals don't get healthy and nutritious food, what ends up happening is a higher degree of illness, sickness, absenteeism, all of the other things we want to avoid," said Sangvai.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, every $1 invested in SNAP benefits generates between $1.50 to $1.80 for local economies.

"It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see how the dots connect and how that SNAP program is indeed so foundational to not only health, but the economic engine in North Carolina," said Sangvai.

Kelley said the cuts come at a time when shoppers are already dealing with elevated grocery prices.

"I come home with half of the stuff and I think if things keep getting cut, I'm going to come home with like nothing. And it's just hard and it really is getting much harder than what it used to be," Kelley shared.

"With my paycheck, I wouldn't be able to afford bills and groceries and I'll have to really skim. So it's really important that I use SNAP," added Jamila Allen, a mother of one who works as a fast food worker in Durham.

Allen joined the Union of Southern Service Workers, calling for higher wages and more benefits, issues that would take on even greater meaning should SNAP benefits be reduced.

"If (my job was) paying me more, I really wouldn't need (SNAP). But since they're not, and the corporations aren't paying us how we need to, the government has to help anyway they can so that people can survive," said Allen.

The bill is now being reviewed by the Senate.

"There's still a number of gates that the bill needs to go through before it becomes law. And so we're really focusing on the opportunities to educate our federal lawmakers exactly about what we're talking about here, the economic impact and the health impact. The Senate needs to pass an identical or companion bill, and there needs to be the reconciliation process. We are focusing on educating constituents, educating lawmakers, educating advocates on how to avoid these cuts from taking place in the first place," said Sangvai.