After 30 years of tracking and reporting national food insecurity data to the public, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will publish its last Household Food Security Report this month. Once this final report is released in October, the department will cease to collect food insecurity data going forward.
The Trump administration has ordered the cancellation of the report after pushing through the largest cut to food assistance in the nation’s history. Beginning on October 1 of this year, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will lose a significant portion of its funding, leaving millions of families without reliable access to food.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has estimated that 4 million people will lose their SNAP benefits within a month of the cuts being implemented. Food insecurity data like the Household Food Security Report allow governments and institutions to target the communities that are most in need. It also informs funding for crucial food access points like food banks and local nonprofits.
Free and low-cost school meals are also on the chopping block in the Trump administration’s budget. For the millions of public school students living in food insecure households, school lunch may be their only meal of the day. In fact, a majority of Americans support providing free breakfast and lunch to all kids at school.
