ASHEVILLE – Buncombe County is expecting to take on millions in additional costs to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, alive after President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill cut funding for the program and as workloads for other programs are expected to increase.
During the Nov. 13 Buncombe County Commissioner Budget Retreat, Buncombe County Health and Human Services Director David Sweat described the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as “designed to increases hurdles and barriers” to federal health programs like Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP. Over 62,000 people are enrolled in Medicaid and over 29,000 are enrolled in SNAP in Buncombe County, according to Sweat and county data. The average SNAP benefit in Buncombe County is $171 per person, and $344 per household each month.
Boxes of produce sit underneath a tent during a Bounty & Soul food distribution event in Black Mountain, Sept. 18, 2025.
The “biggest budget impact” will be the increased administrative costs for SNAP, Sweat said. The county’s cost-share for SNAP will increase from covering just 50% of administrative costs to 75% of administrative costs, Sweat said.
Projections indicate the shift will increase Buncombe County’s burden by nearly $2 million — or 38% — in fiscal year 2027, which will run from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. The total cost share for administrating SNAP is expected to be around $7 million in Buncombe County.
Buncombe County Health and Human Services Director David Sweat speaks during a press conference on Oct. 30, 2025, at the Buncombe County Government Administration building in Asheville to discuss the local impacts of SNAP suspension.
Enrollment in SNAP increases during natural disasters, according to Sweat, and numerous local food banks have said Western North Carolina has faced increase food insecurity after Tropical Storm Helene hit in September 2024, causing $60 billion in damages in North Carolina.
The projected funding change for SNAP, widely referred to as food stamps, comes as local governments anticipate shifting costs to state and local governments. The state of North Carolina is expecting to pay an additional $420 million to keep SNAP going in the state.
“Due to the actions of Congress, essentially $2 million has just evaporated from our budget,” said Buncombe County Commissioner Parker Sloan. The cost of administrating the program goes to pay staff in the county health and human services department who administrate SNAP, Sweat said.
During the 43-day federal government shutdown, Buncombe County partnered with local food banks to feed those who were expected to only receive partial SNAP payments. Over 8,500 pounds of food had been delivered through that program, Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said during the Budget Retreat.
Sharing House volunteer Carolyn Foster stocks a shelf at Sharing House in Brevard on Nov. 4, 2025.
County still waiting on ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ guidance
Despite expected SNAP changes, there is little guidance on how Medicaid and Medicare services may specifically change in Buncombe County. Under the Big Beautiful Bill, Congress has until June 2026 to provide guidance to state governments on how recertifications and programs will function after the Big Beautiful Bill, Sweat said. After that guidance is provided, the state government will then dictate how policy should be implemented at a local level.
New work requirements for clients aged 24-69 receiving Medicaid were included in the bill, menaing local social service employee caseloads are expected to increase, Sweat said. Early estimates indicate the bill will increase recertifications, meaning renewals for beneficiaries of the program, by over 13,000, which will result in a 27% increase in workload for county staff, according to the Nov. 13 presentation.
The Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services “thinks it can absorb” the additional cost of the workload, but the SNAP cost share increase still poses significant challenges for the department’s budget, Sweat said.
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Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at [email protected] or message will_hofmann.01 on Signal.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: One Big Beautiful Bill expected to increase Buncombe Co. SNAP costs
