Big Beautiful Bill is ‘cruelest thing’ NC SNAP recipient has seen government do

Before the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed Congress, Marilyn Maddocks was “terrified” that lawmakers held her fate in their hands.

Now she’s angry.

“This is the cruelest thing I’ve ever seen America do — the government of this country,” Maddocks said. “It’s cruel.”

On July 4, President Donald Trump signed into law the tax and spending policy. The legislation took on many of Trump’s campaign promises, and made cuts that put at risk social safety net programs including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as food stamps.

Every North Carolina Republican except for Sen. Thom Tillis voted to pass the bill. Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, tried to convince his colleagues that the bill would jeopardize the Medicaid coverage of more than 650,000 people in North Carolina. He ended his reelection campaign over the issue, but the bill passed anyways.

“I’m livid over it being passed,” Maddocks said. “I think everybody was just incredibly irresponsible.”

In North Carolina, more than 3 million people benefit from Medicaid and around 1.4 million people from SNAP.

Maddocks is in the latter group.

At age 68, she’s exempt from the bill’s tougher work requirements. But it’s still an open question how the bill’s wide-ranging changes will affect food benefits.

SNAP benefits

The bill affects the SNAP program in two different ways.

For individuals: starting at the end of 2026, the bill increases the age for people required to work in order to receive the benefit from 55 to 65. The bill also lowers the age of children, from 18 to 14, whose caregivers qualify for an exemption. It also is more restrictive on the number of state-authorized exemptions permitted based on unemployment rates or insufficient jobs in a county.

For the state, the problem is larger, and Gov. Josh Stein warned North Carolina’s congressional delegation about the ramifications of the bill.

The federal government paid 100% of SNAP benefits and 50% of administrative costs, with the state paying the other half, prior to the bill becoming law. Now, starting in fiscal year 2028, North Carolina must shoulder 15% of the benefits — due to a penalty based on the state’s rate of payment errors — which equates to an estimated $420 million a year.

Additionally, the state and counties are now expected to shoulder 75% of administrative costs, which is an estimated increase of around $83 million.

Stein said in May he did not know how the state could take on these expenses, and it would force lawmakers to choose between SNAP and other expenses. He said the fallout could impact children, the elderly, disabled and low-income working adults.

“I’m just so angry and I’m scared,” Maddocks said. “Mostly, I’m terrified of what the government’s doing, this administration. As long as they can eat, who cares about the rest of us?”

Becoming homeless

Maddocks lives in Boone.

She spent her adult life working as a mechanical design engineer, making around $65,000 a year. She said she was setting enough money aside that she believed she could retire comfortably by 55.

But, during the Great Recession, she was laid off from two different jobs.

She applied for work elsewhere but was repeatedly told she was overqualified.

“I never thought I would be in this predicament — in this position — in my life,” Maddocks said. “I grew up thinking if you have a college degree, you’ll never lack for a job, and you’ll find work no matter what. That’s just not the case.”

Employers hired younger workers willing to take $10-an-hour salaries. Maddocks couldn’t even get a foot in the door.

“They didn’t have to pay them much more than that, because people were desperate for work,” Maddocks said.

Even McDonald’s turned her down.

Maddocks used up her life savings trying to make ends meet until she landed on her feet again.

She ended up homeless.

“I don’t care how much money you make or have, it can always happen to you,” Maddocks said. “It can happen to anybody.”

To add insult to injury, Maddocks was hit by a car, shattering the left side of her body.

She was approved for disability benefits and learned about SNAP.

Affording food

Between Maddock’s Social Security and disability payments, she qualifies for only $25 a month in food benefits. But she needs that money, she said.

“It’s ironic, because I don’t know too many people that could survive on what I make,” Maddocks said.

Maddocks spends $150-200 a month on food, trying to keep her grocery list healthy but not extravagant. Occasionally she springs for salmon. Her expenses exceed her income, and she uses the $25 as a bridge to get to the next month.

Finding work

Maddocks stopped receiving her $25 benefit this summer. It was unclear why, but she felt the difference immediately.

She got a job working at Goodwill to make ends meet, which keeps her on her feet. She said that causes excruciating pain because of her injury from being hit by the car.

“I’ve got to have a job, because I don’t trust what the government’s doing,” Maddocks said. “I think that they’re going to just screw everybody as much as they can so they can get richer.”

She reflected for a moment on the people who chose to make this decision.

“You know they’re taken care of for life,” Maddocks said, “and don’t have to worry about their next meal or next prescription. In this country, in one of the richest countries in the world, we still have people starving here, and now, people are going to be starving even more.”

“It’s already not enough for anyone, period, to live on.”

Maddocks said she also has $6,000 in medical bills to pay off — expenses from a breast cancer diagnosis, being hit by the car and stress-related stomach issues.

Living in poverty

Maddocks, who has no children of her own, worries about the impact of the bill on children and the elderly.

SNAP is used by one in eight North Carolinians, and two-thirds of recipients have a child in their home. One-third includes a family member who is elderly or disabled, according to a letter written by Stein to Congress.

Maddocks said she wants lawmakers to reconsider what they’re spending money on — things like the U.S. Army’s Grand Military Parade in June — and help people who “are in dire straits.”

“There’s no common sense with the government at all,” Maddocks said. “They want to save these trillions of dollars, and that’s not going to happen.”

Maddocks wanted to reach out to lawmakers ahead of the vote and said she worried about whether the Trump administration might retaliate if she had, by doing something worse like taking away her Social Security benefits.

Now she’s refocusing her efforts .

“I’m going to try my best to convince people not to vote Republican in the midterms,” Maddocks said. “I’m going to make it my mission to inform people what’s going to happen to them if they vote Republican.”

This story was originally published August 10, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

Danielle Battaglia

McClatchy DC

Danielle Battaglia is the congressional impact reporter for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, leading coverage of the impact of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and the White House. Her career has spanned three North Carolina newsrooms where she has covered crime, courts and local, state and national politics. She has won two McClatchy President’s awards and numerous national and state awards for her work.