Restore USDA Funding for Food Banks and Schools

The Trump administration recently cut federal programs providing over a billion dollars annually to help schools and food banks buy food from local farms and ranches. The USDA has also abruptly and significantly reduced shipments to food banks and food kitchens from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) without explanation or warning.

In addition to feeding the hungry, these programs also support the local food production economy, especially in more rural areas, and farmers are already being affected.

Food insecurity has been on an upward trajectory in the US, with economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation causing hunger rates to climb. The USDA reported 13.5% of Americans experienced food insecurity in 2023, the highest rate in nearly a decade, with hunger levels in rural areas reaching 15.4%.

Some Congressional Democrats have signed on to a letter pushing to restore this funding, but it isn’t enough. Funding for these programs was authorized by Congress under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act, and should not be redirected or removed without congressional approval.