More Than 11,000 Could See EBT Cut, Officials Say

More than 11,000 people in Columbus County could lose more than $1 million in food stamp benefits Nov. 1 due to the federal government shutdown.

County commissioners got the news Monday during a briefing by Health Department Director Daniel Buck, Social Services Director Duella Hall and Housing Director Rebecca Tyson.

The federal government shutdown currently underway in Washington has frozen a number of agencies, including those providing federally funded food assistance programs, among them WIC, Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and others.

The state Dept. of Health and Human services says 1.1 million people receive some form of government food assistance in North Carolina. The estimated population for Columbus County is just over 50,000 people, meaning more than 20 percent of the county’s residents rely on EBT for food purchases.

Hall said the total amount distributed by the county is between $1.25 and $1.5 million a year.

“You are going to see some impacts,” she said.

The news came during the regular DSS update to the board. Hall and County Manager Eddie Madden explained that the county will be forced to make up half the payroll for 18 employees if the shutdown continues. The federal and state governments reimburse half the affected salaries, and if the shutdown continues, the county will no longer receive the 50 percent reimbursement. Since the jobs are mandated, Madden explained, the county will have to pay the difference, with no clear word on when or if the county will be repaid.

“The federal government can furlough employees,” Madden said. “We cannot.”

Several commissioners expressed surprise at the large number of residents receiving Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and other food programs in the county.

“Are all these legitimate?” Commissioner Brent Watts asked. Hall noted that all applicants are screened before being admitted into the EBT program.

Several commissioners questioned whether adequate safeguards were in place to ensure only the truly needy were receiving assistance. Watts and Commissioner Giles “Buddy” Byrd said they had been approached by people who wanted jobs, but wanted to work for cash or have false incomes reported to avoid losing benefits.

“I have people filling out an application to work for me,” Commissioner Rickey Bullard said, “and they ask me if they’re going to be paid by cash or check. They won’t work for a check, because they’ll lose their benefits. Meanwhile it’s the working man out there paying for this.”

Byrd also asked if DSS investigated stores for doing “cash swaps” for food stamp benefits. A cash swap takes place when a storeowner agrees to refund half or more of an EBT purchase in cash, which is against the law. Hall said that DSS has fraud investigators who successfully retrieve any such fraudulent payouts.

Madden also noted that most area food banks are reliant on funding from the USDA to function. Emergency funds will continue providing money only into November.

HUD housing assistance has also been frozen, Director Rebecca Tyson said. The housing department usually has five to ten vacancies open up each month, and those will not be filled until the shutdown is resolved, she said. Emergency funding is being used through November.

Watts expressed his frustration at the number of people lining up for heating assistance, which he admitted is similar but not directly related to the EBT crisis.

“I saw some deerhunters out there with dog boxes on their trucks,” he said. “If they can afford dogs, they can afford to buy their own heat.

“We don’t want to see anyone hungry by any means,” he said, “but we need to be sure the people who deserve help get it first.”

Watts said he knows several elderly people who cannot easily get to DSS to sign up for assistance programs. Hall noted that some recipients are automatically signed up via the NCFAST system, and do not have to apply in person.

The shutdown is continuing due to a standoff between President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers fighting for budget cuts, and Democrats trying to maintain funding for expanded Medicaid and to re-fund foreign and domestic programs cut by Trump in the early days of his administration.