Shapiro sues Trump administration over canceled farm and food bank funds
Gov. Josh Shapiro announced his administration has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over its cancellation of millions of dollars in federal funding to farmers who supply food banks throughout the state. (Commonwealth Media Services)
PHILADELPHIA — Gov. Josh Shapiro announced his administration has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over its cancellation of millions of dollars in federal funding to farmers who supply food banks throughout the state.
'I'm tired of waiting for someone to stand up for our farmers and our food banks. That task falls to us,' Shapiro said Wednesday in Philadelphia. 'The USDA and the Trump administration ignored our farmers, and they ignored folks who are hungry here in Pennsylvania.'
Shapiro said his administration filed a lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg asking a judge to reverse the USDA's decision to cancel its contract with the commonwealth.
The program, known as the Local Food Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), was established by President Joe Biden's administration in response to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic in 2021. In December, Biden's administration renewed the contract with Pennsylvania for three years and $13 million. In March, the Trump administration announced that the program was ending.
'This lawsuit calls on the USDA to simply honor its commitment to our farmers, to honor its commitment to folks who are hungry and to simply follow the contract that they signed,' Shapiro said
In Pennsylvania, LFPA provides funding that supports 189 farms and 14 food banks. Shapiro said it represented between 10% and 15% of the annual market share for many of the farmers participating in the program.
The back-and-forth between Shapiro and the Trump administration over the matter has spanned multiple months. In March, Shapiro held a press conference at a food bank in Harrisburg sounding an alarm on the program's cancellation. He said his administration appealed to get the money and wrote a letter to Trump's administration in late March.
In April, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins made a trip to multiple central Pennsylvania farms where she claimed the money for food banks was, in fact, available. She said Shapiro and other officials either didn't 'have their facts right,' or were playing political 'games.'
Shapiro disputed the claim at the time and re-upped his criticism of Rollins' explanation Wednesday in Philadelphia.
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The LFPA initiative works as a reimbursement program, Shapiro said, so the state doesn't get the money until after it pays farmers and provides receipts.
A USDA spokesperson told the Capital-Star that they 'do not comment on pending litigation,' and directed inquiries to the U.S. Department of Justice.
George Maysik, executive director of Share Food Program in Philadelphia, said the food bank serves more than 500,000 people per month in the greater Philadelphia area and demand has risen over 120% in the last three years.
'The LFPA program was designed to provide some level of relief for the 14 food banks like us across the commonwealth who are serving that rising need,' Maysik said.
He addressed Trump directly, criticizing his administration's decision to cancel the program.
'You had a deal with food banks serving 67 counties trying to alleviate poverty,' Maysik said. 'And above all, Mr. President, you had a deal with the American people and you broke your word.'
'The art of the deal,' he scoffed.
Julie McCabe, executive director of Pennypack Farm & Education Center, explained her 13 acre vegetable farm in Montgomery County participated in the LFPA program to provide products to local food banks.
'Our produce giving program has grown tremendously,' McCabe said. 'From just over 8,000 pounds donated in 2017 to more than 26,000 pounds given in 2024.'
While Shapiro said his administration has increased investments to connect farmers with hungry people, he said the state doesn't have the money to backfill the federal cuts, if the lawsuit is unsuccessful.
Still, Shapiro said he has reasons to be optimistic that he would succeed.
'I've got a pretty good track record when I take Donald Trump to court,' said Shapiro, who served as the state's attorney general during Trump's first term. 'We're going to win this, and we're going to get our money back for the good people of Pennsylvania.'
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