Raleigh, NC - The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) is calling on the Trump Administration to fully fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November. The government has agreed to fund partial payments this month following recent court decisions directing them to restore SNAP funding in either partial and full capacity. Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) instructed states to pause all November SNAP benefits beginning November 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown.
The court decisions make clear that the administration has a duty to protect families in need, not use them as leverage in political disputes. By not funding SNAP in its entirety, the Administration is harming millions of Americans—including 1.4 million North Carolinians—by increasing food insecurity, straining family budgets, and disrupting communities across the state. Those affected include hundreds of thousands of children, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and working families who rely on the program to put food on the table.
In North Carolina alone, SNAP contributes nearly $3 billion to the state’s economy, supporting more than 621,000 children who automatically qualify for free school meals. Cuts or delays in SNAP funding threaten family stability, weaken local economies, and hurt children’s ability to learn when they come to school hungry.
“When SNAP benefits are disrupted, teachers and support staff witness the consequences firsthand—students arriving at school hungry, unable to focus, and quickly falling behind," said Tamika Walker Kelly, NCAE President. "Many of the very educators working to keep students fed are struggling with the same challenges in their own homes. It is the government’s responsibility to fix this, yet once again, educators are left to shoulder the burden of lawmakers’ inaction and fill the gaps for our children and communities.”
Families and children are already going hungry. This is unacceptable. Congress must immediately restore funding cuts, reimburse states working to feed families, and the administration must direct the USDA to release emergency SNAP funds to fully fulfill its commitment to the American people.
