Concern over food insecurity rises as the USDA cuts two COVID-era food assistance programs
The latest cuts are coming from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency announced plans to eliminate more than a billion dollars in funding for two food aid assistance programs.
The cuts are expected to have an impact in Washington state. Food Lifeline, a hunger relief organization, tells KIRO 7 the USDA cuts will amount to about $1.2 million in cuts to their budget.
'We continue to advocate and ask that food insecurity not be part of those budget cost-saving measures because it is such an important lifeline for so many people in our communities,' says Ryan Scott with Food Lifeline.
He tells KIRO 7, that one in four Washingtonians are food insecure.
State Representative Jim Walsh, who heads the Washington GOP, says the federal cuts promote agency efficiency, not food insecurity.
'What the Trump administration is trying to do, and certainly DOGE, is put healthy pressure on the system, so that agencies like USDA are more streamlined, and a better bang for the taxpayer buck,' Walsh said.
In addition to food banks, USDA cuts are headed to schools, with concerns about the impact of free and reduced lunch programs.
The two USDA programs on the chopping block were created during the pandemic, but Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the programs were never meant to be long-term.
In a statement to KIRO 7, a USDA spokesperson writes in part about this week's cuts:
This isn't an abrupt shift—just last week, USDA released over half a billion in previously obligated funds for LFPA and LFS to fulfill existing commitments and support ongoing local food purchases.
Adding, 'The COVID era is over—USDA's approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward."
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