More than 1.5 million North Carolinians could lose food and medical assistance when new limits on SNAP and Medicaid go into effect. That's why Durham County's leadership wanted an update Monday on the scope of the issue at the county level.

A representative with Durham County's Department of Social Services said more than 17,000 people in the county who could lose access to health insurance.

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North Carolina's expansion of Medicaid in 2023 was contingent on the federal government paying 90% or more of the cost to add the working poor -- those in low-wage jobs that don't offer benefits. But the recently passed "big, beautiful bill" would reverse that federal funding. Unless North Carolina law is changed, those people will lose their Medicaid.

Durham's Innovative Nutrition Education (DINE), which educates the public, including children, about nutrition and provides services, expects to cut 13 positions, most of them dietitians.

Durham County DSS Director Maggie Clapp said the change in the law means "more than 500,000 children no longer automatically qualifying for school meals because of SNAP."

She also brought up that reducing SNAP benefits means less money for businesses. She said the food assistance money "goes right to our supermarkets. It goes right to our mom and pop grocery stores. So, that money goes directly to them, so that is a huge loss for the economy."

Republican lawmakers have defended the cuts as means to reduce wasteful spending. North Carolina Republican Sen. Ted Budd said the 600,000 people added to Medicaid after the 2023 expansion aren’t who the program was originally intended to help in the 1960s, and removing their coverage will lower government spending a substantial amount while reserving those benefits for the people who need it most.

Regardless, the concern for the people charged with providing these services say its the most-vulnerable who will feel the impact.

Some agencies discussed ways they can get creative to bridge a shortfall in financial support from the federal government. This includes finding new partnerships and finding potential revenue-making ability within their current means.