Late this week Judge Jack McConnell issued a ruling in a US District Court in Rhode Island that ordered the Trump Administration to fully fund the government’s SNAP program that provides funds for low-income families, households and individuals to buy food.  Guilford County leaders – who are trying to keep food on the table for poor county residents – may have been pleased with that order and breathed a sigh of relief; however, soon after, the Trump administration asked a federal appeals court for an emergency block on the order.

As of Friday, Nov. 7, the issue is still in limbo and nationally, 42 million Americans are waiting to see if they will get full SNAP benefits for November.

The administration has asked the 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to allow it to pay 65 percent of the food stamp benefits rather than the full amount this month from a contingency fund that’s held for emergencies.

At a Thursday, Nov. 6 work session, the Guilford County commissioners got an in-depth update as to how the federal government shutdown will affect county operations and residents who rely on federally funded programs.  County officials are still waiting to hear the end results but at the meeting they were informed by staff that those using the program in Guilford County may see a cut of 35 percent in their benefits.

At that meeting, held in a third-floor conference room in the county owned bank building next to the Old Guilford County Court House in downtown Greensboro, several county department heads walked commissioners through a detailed presentation that broke down impacts on major social service programs such as SNAP and WIC – as well as adult day care, Medicaid and protective services.

The good news is that the county currently has enough cash flow to keep services running for the time being – however, the longer the US Congress stays gridlocked, the more those in Guilford County will feel the pain.

After the meeting Guilford County Commission Frankie Jones told the Rhino Times that he was very concerned about the situation.

“That’s why we’ve been trying to get in front of it,” he said.

He pointed to a recent press conference held by the county to get the word out to area residents regarding the situation. It was meant to convey the implications for program users in the county and ways they can get connected to resources like local food banks.

Jones also noted that, even if the money is provided in the end, it will still be delayed – and this is a fragile population who is in large part relying on the benefits to keep the family fed and they were struggling even when they were receiving full benefits.

At the November 6 work session presentation, staff began by defining what a shutdown actually is: As most people know by now, it’s when Congress fails to pass funding bills or a continuing resolution to authorize federal spending, forcing many federal agencies to suspend non-essential operations.

Since Guilford County administers numerous federally funded health and human service programs, any lapse in federal spending can be felt quickly. Reimbursement for these programs may be delayed; however, local operations must continue regardless.

Staff said that Guilford County officials are meeting weekly to track state guidance as well as to review the financial and operational implications for each department. They’re also coordinating with state agencies and community partners in order to stay ahead of potential funding gaps.

Two programs discussed were SNAP– which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – and Women, Infants and Children, better known as WIC. Those programs serve tens of thousands of county residents and those people are among the first to feel the strain when federal funds are disrupted.

According to the staff report to the commissioners, an average of 41,845 households in Guilford County received SNAP benefits during the past six months. That represents 85,355 residents – roughly two participants per household.

 In May 2025, Guilford County issued about $15.4 million in monthly SNAP benefits.

More than 500 local grocery stores and other food retailers benefit economically from those purchases, making the program a significant part of the local economy.

SNAP benefits are loaded onto electronic EBT cards each month, with distribution dates staggered based on the last digit of a recipient’s Social Security number. That means some residents receive their benefits on the 3rd of the month, while others get theirs on dates up through the 21st.

Eligibility is based on factors like household size and income.

The US Department of Agriculture has already issued a revised funding table reducing November benefits for many households by 50 percent. (Note: issuance and availability of benefits for prior months won’t be affected.)

Depending on what the federal courts do, that percentage could change but right now the county’s working assumption seems to be an expectation that clients will lose 35 percent of their usual food benefits.  On Thursday, county leaders were waiting on an official letter from the state to figure out exactly how to proceed.

County staff who administer SNAP are funded 50 percent through federal and state reimbursements – so a delay in reimbursement could eventually affect local cash flow. For now, there’s enough budget authority and reserve funds to continue operations to distribute the expected reduced benefits until federal reimbursements arrive. No budget action is needed right now and local staff will continue processing applications, recertifications and expedited cases even during the shutdown.

The WIC program, which provides healthy food, breastfeeding support, and nutrition education for pregnant and postpartum women and children up to age five, supports 13,670 county Guilford County participants.

Those monthly WIC benefits total about $1.2 million in the county.

The salaries in this program are 100 percent funded by the NC WIC Program through the counties agreement addendum with the state.  That money passes through the state and is given to the county’s WIC beneficiaries.

Funding for WIC is 100 percent federal, and the county doesn’t use local funds to support it. Currently, there are sufficient state funds to continue operating the WIC program through November 30; however, additional funding would be needed beyond the end of this month if the shutdown persists.

The WIC program employs about 35 full-time equivalent positions and has a monthly operating budget of about $225,000. County staff have identified $400,000 in one-time federal Public Health Infrastructure Grant funding that could keep those positions funded for roughly six weeks. Staff plans to return to the Board of Commissioners for authorization to allocate another $400,000 if federal funding isn’t restored by the end of this month.

At the work session, staff also highlighted efforts now going on under the “One Guilford: Supporting Our Pantries” initiative. That program brings together local partners such as the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina and the Greater Guilford Food Finder to ensure that residents who face food insecurity can still find assistance.

Chairman of the Guilford Count Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said after the meeting that during this time of need residents will need to rely more on local food banks as a safety net.  Some are entities are doing what they can to help.  For instance, Piedmont Triad International Airport has started a food donation drive to help those in need.

The county is currently helping publicize the Food Finder app and is sharing real-time data with food network partners to assess capacity and resource needs.

Officials are also encouraging residents to visit GuilfordCountyNC.gov/FindFood or SecondHarvestNWNC.org for up-to-date information on available pantries.

In addition to SNAP and WIC, the afternoon presentation reviewed several other federally linked services. For Adult Day Care and In-Home Aid Services, county staff said the state portion of funding won’t be affected and there’s currently no delay in federal reimbursements. Those programs employ seven full-time case managers and deliver $184,000 per month in direct client services. According to the presentation, budget reserves are sufficient to continue those operations even if reimbursement slows down.

Adult and Child Protective Services, which provide vital safety-net programs for vulnerable residents, are expected to continue during the lapse in appropriations as well.

Similarly, Medicaid Administration isn’t expected to face short-term problems. County staff noted that enough federal and state funding has been set aside to cover Medicaid operations through December 31, 2025. That means local recipients shouldn’t see a disruption in their services and no budget action was needed from the Board of Commissioners at that meeting.

While most county programs remain stable for now, staff cautioned that a prolonged shutdown could strain both the county and its community partners. Guilford County government is heavily dependent on timely reimbursements from federal and state sources to cover salaries and program costs. For example, staff running federally funded programs must continue normal operations even when payments from Washington are delayed.

On the positive side, the presentation noted that the county’s internal monitoring process has been strengthened since previous shutdown threats. Each week, key department heads meet to discuss financial exposure and to prepare for different scenarios. Updates from state agencies are entered into a central system to ensure that decision-makers can act quickly if funding gaps widen.

For now, Guilford County is keeping local programs running and residents served – however, county leaders made it clear that stability depends on the shutdown’s duration.

If federal funding resumes soon, county taxpayers might only feel a minimal effect. If not, the county could be forced to dip deeper into reserves or request emergency allocations before year’s end.

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