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USA Today
13-06-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Federal cuts hit farmers and food banks: 'It really hurts'
Federal cuts hit farmers and food banks: 'It really hurts' The federal cuts were announced months ago, but farmers and food banks are now seeing the impacts of missed deliveries and canceled orders. Show Caption Hide Caption Farmers brace for cuts to USAID and USDA Farmers, who already operate under thin margins, said funding cuts to programs like USAID, USDA and a new trade war were concerning. Sylvia Tisdale believes in feeding the hungry so much that, at 70 years old, she attempted to climb Mount Kiliminjaro to raise awareness about food insecurity. "The altitude got me," she said with a small chuckle, "but my daughter made it." Three years later, the pastor at Epps Christian Center in Pensacola, Florida, is still passionate about the work she and her volunteers do to feed the hungry. So when one of those volunteers, Mike Stephens, wrote to his local newspaper to highlight the impact of cuts by the Trump Administration to limit expenditures to food pantries and soup kitchens through the United States Department of Agriculture, she understood why. "It hits people hard when they come and can't get as much food," she told USA TODAY, "and it really hurts my volunteers when they have to turn people away." The USDA announced cuts in March to the Local Food Purchase Assistance program and a similar program, the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement totaling more than $1 billion. Scheduled deliveries of food through the USDA's Emergency Food Assistance Program were halted or cut back. The programs are meant to help farmers by paying them for fresh produce that can be distributed to food banks, pantries and schools. It aimed to supply students and people in need with healthy, locally-sourced food. The cuts came as part of the Trump Administration's wider efforts to root out what it considers wasteful spending. When the cuts were announced, multiple outlets cited USDA statements saying the programs were no longer in line with the agency's goals. In a Feb. 13 letter to state and local officials, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the USDA has a "historic opportunity to improve nutrition programs to better serve individuals who need additional support." "Our shared goal should be to lift millions of Americans out of dependency and into hopeful futures and unimagined possibilities," she wrote. "It will require tireless energy and new and innovative approaches to long-ignored problems." USA TODAY has reached out to the USDA for further comment. Pensacola isn't the only place feeling the impact of cuts to federal food programs. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro recently filed a lawsuit to stop the USDA's elimination of the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program, which provides funds for farmers who supply local food banks with fresh produce. Across the country, food banks and the farmers who supply them with the help of federal funds say the cuts are starting to hurt their bottom lines and their ability to feed people in need. 'Clients left crying' Stephens, the volunteer at Epps Christian Center, wrote to the Pensacola News Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, when a truck full of food they'd expected didn't arrive. "I felt it was sad that a large number of homeless citizens were turned away due to this situation," Stephens wrote in a letter published June 3. "...Clients were left crying in the rain and shivering under the trees without food and groceries." The center serves as many as 300 cars at drive-up food distributions and dozens of homeless people at its soup kitchen, Stephens noted in his letter. Tisdale started the distribution 17 years ago when she saw day laborers early one morning outside a nearby business and made them breakfast. More than 15% of the people in Escambia County are food-insecure, so Tisdale, seeing a need, opened a soup kitchen in one of her church buildings for homeless people and started food distributions for others in need. So far, Tisdale said, the community has helped pick up the slack from the loss of other food sources. But she worries for her clients, most of whom are working people who just need help making ends meet between paychecks. "We are a staple in this community," said Tisdale. "We're open when others aren't." Still, she acknowledged, they've "always operated on a shoestring." "These cuts have affected everybody and every household," she said. For farmers, 'every little bit helps' Tom Croner is a seventh-generation farmer growing corn, soybeans and wheat in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. He said losing LFPA funding will cut into the already-slim margins for him and many other farmers. "Every little bit helps in that respect," Croner told part of the USA TODAY Network. LFPA funds also help farmers employ more sustainable practices than they might otherwise use, he added. Pennsylvania officials say the program benefits both families and the state's agricultural industry: More than $28 million in federal funding goes to 189 farmers, who have supplied nearly 26 million pounds of food to food banks and pantries; and people in need get access to healthy, locally sourced food. The cuts extend well beyond Florida and Pennsylvania: About $11.3 million in Iowa, about $21 million in Arizona, and about $2 million in Delaware. And that's just some of the states seeing significant cuts to food programs. The Iowa Farmers Union, a coalition of family farmers, said in a statement to the Des Moines Register (part of the USA TODAY Network) the impact of federal cuts "is immediate and devastating," adding that "producers who have already planned over $3 million in food sales in 2025 through these programs now face sudden financial uncertainty.' Some small farmers could find themselves facing bankruptcy, said Chris Schwartz, executive director of the Iowa Food System Coalition. More people in need, less food to give them Loree Jones Brown is CEO of Philabundance, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit and part of the Feeding America network that works with more than 350 community-based organizations to distribute food throughout a nine-county area in Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey. She said food pantry operators tell Philabundance they're seeing more people than ever as housing, health care, food and other basic costs of living keep rising. At the same time, there is less food to distribute as a result of federal funding cuts. Still, she said she's hopeful that, even if some funding sources go away, the Trump Administration will provide other ways to feed hungry people in the U.S. Feeding America's Mind the Meal Gap map has a national county-by-county breakdown; Jones Brown said in the nine-county region served by Philabundance, the number of people who have food insecurity went from about 500,000 people in 2021 to 600,000 in 2022 and 629,000 in 2023 (the last year for which they have data). "Clearly, those numbers are moving in the wrong direction," Jones Brown said. Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY; Bethany Rodgers,
The Hill
01-06-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Federal food aid cuts will cause America's hunger crisis to skyrocket
The Daily Table, one of the largest food banks in Boston, recently announced it was closing its doors after serving more than 3 million people throughout the city over the past decade. The organization cited high food prices and an 'uncertain funding environment' as the main reasons. 'Without immediate funding to bridge us through 2025, we cannot continue,' read the group's farewell note to supporters. Pantries like the Daily Table across the country are struggling to stay open after the U.S. Department of Agriculture quietly cut $1 billion in 2025 funding back in March for food relief programs that have historically supported the nation's most disadvantaged communities. Specifically, the USDA abruptly slashed the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which supported food banks in addressing the growing hunger crisis in America. The agency also canceled the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, USDA-led initiatives that paid farmers and ranchers to produce the food that pantries and schools distributed to those in need. '[Funding] is no longer available and those agreements will be terminated following 60-day notification,' a USDA spokesperson bluntly told Politico when the cuts were discovered. Food banks depend on federal funding to help those in need. The USDA cuts have hit these organizations hard, stifling their ability to fulfill their missions in West Virginia, New York, California, Maryland, Washington, Oregon and beyond. Three District of Columbia-area food banks have delivered 1.4 million fewer meals since the USDA action, and these numbers are certain to grow. The need for food banks has never been greater. According to the USDA's own data, over 47 million people resided in food-insecure households in 2023. Demand in Nebraska is four times greater than it was in 2018, while some food pantries in Texas are serving 25 percent more people today than before the pandemic. And in what may be the most troubling statistic of all, nearly half of the residents in Kentucky and Indiana face an impossible choice of either paying for food or covering their utility bills. The USDA actions were a potential blow to farmers — a constituency the Trump administration has vowed to protect. They also defy the Trump administration's 'Farmers First' agenda. 'The defense of the family farm is a defense of everything America has been — and everything we will be,' wrote USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins in announcing the imperative. 'It is my privilege to come to their defense.' Canceling these programs is a slap in the face to every farmer who relies on federal support to help vulnerable Americans receive the food they need to survive. These economic initiatives drive local agriculture and are a vital source of revenue, especially for small farm operators. The USDA cuts deepen the impact for those who already lack access to healthy meals. Before the USDA rollbacks began, nearly 10 million children were at risk of going hungry this summer due to states opting out of the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program. Eliminating federal support for food banks will make their untenable situation even worse. And if House Republicans move forward with a plan to decimate the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program in their proposed budget bill, the hunger crisis in America could become a full-blown emergency. SNAP currently helps 40 million low-income families afford groceries every month. The House bill, if approved, would gut the program by more than $260 billion over the next 10 years to help offset the Trump administration's tax cut proposals. The House GOP plan puts an added burden on states to make up the difference in SNAP support, many of which are financially strapped and won't be able to cover the funding gap. The USDA cuts come at a time when food prices are expected to rise 3.5 percent in 2025 alone due to recent tariff increases. They will have a 'significant and damaging impact' for millions who rely on these programs for food support, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and other U.S. senators have argued. Administration officials and members of Congress alike should heed the warnings from those on the front lines who run food banks and have seen firsthand the impacts the USDA cuts have had on their ability to address food insecurity in their communities. 'We've never before faced a situation like we are in now,' said Michael McKee, CEO of Virginia-based Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. '[The] need is well beyond any disaster or financial crisis that we've seen, and the government's response is to take food away.' 'This isn't about ideology,' he added. 'It's about math.' Let's have compassion for those with nothing to eat by restoring food programs that offer them nourishment and hope for a better future. Lyndon Haviland is a distinguished scholar at the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal DEI threats are a tough lesson for Palm Beach County schools
What is the real lesson that the federal government is teaching students at the Palm Beach County School District when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion? Money talks and policy, no matter how much needed, just walks? It's clear that the Trump administration frowns on DEI policies and programs. Whether it's rolling back contracting goals with minority- and women-owned businesses, removing photos of distinguished Jewish graduates from a display case at the U.S. Naval Academy, or purging photos of the Enola Gay from the U.S. Defense Department because of, well, "gay." That anti-DEI sentiment has hit home as the Palm Beach County School Board, in an emergency vote, ended district DEI programs for fear of losing $300 million in federal funding. No more diversity goals in minority- and women-owned contracting, hiring or curriculum programs. No more data collection to determine how effectively the district is using its resources to help more than three-quarters of its students who aren't white. 'The threat was real': Palm Beach County School board to end DEI programs over objections We don't blame the School Board for this painful decision. We do blame a narrow-minded Trump White House for putting them in this position. Editorial: Florida Senate poised to pass legislation to protect state parks. Get it done. A federal judge in New Hampshire ruled to limit Trump's withholding of federal funds from schools that have certain DEI programs, but that decision isn't a nationwide pause on the policy. The cuts could move forward as the controversy plays out in court. In the meantime, money still talks and the harsh lesson of school budgets under the Trump regime continues to be taught. The district earlier this month got bad news that it could lose up to $47 million in state revenue as state lawmakers consider cuts to popular college and career coursework like Advance Placement and industry certification programs. The fact that those cuts are coming at a time of dwindling public school student enrollment isn't helpful. State funding follows students. The fewer the students, the less money Palm Beach County and other school districts have to work with. Editorial: After FSU shooting, will we repeat our cycle of anguish, anger and inaction? The Trump administration already cancelled the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement, which provides funding to local farmers to provide food to school districts. Now comes the threat of more federal cuts, amounting to another budgetary body blow the district simply can't afford. The district needs every dollar it can get to assist schools with significant numbers of low-income students, educate special needs students and train teachers. The money has to come from somewhere. If not the federal government, the Florida Legislature, then locally in either higher property and sales taxes. Or, residents could sit back, grumble and just tolerate deep cuts to school services that will affect the district's bond rating and overall status for quality education. Money talks. Principled programs that are key to a child's education? Not so much. That's a lesson Palm Beach County school students shouldn't accept. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County schools end DEI effort for money's sake | Editorial
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's government cuts will stifle Florida food banks, expand hunger crisis
You'd almost think that a county known for its "Wall Street South" ambitions, its sky-high rents, eight-figure housing sales, and its high concentration of luxury automobile dealerships and potential Michelin Guide restaurants, wouldn't have a problem with feeding its less fortunate. Yet, it's a problem for Palm Beach County — unfortunately a growing one. Dubbed "wasteful spending," the Trump administration last month cut key federal programs that provide funding to allow food banks and schools to buy food from local farmers. That's right, "local" farmers. The abrupt cancellation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement, along with the department's Emergency Food Assistance Program sent tremors nationwide. The move was dubiously billed as way to cut federal spending, but it amounts to a $1 billion hit nationwide that food banks and pantries here in one of Florida's most affluent counties can't afford. Demand for food pantry services in Palm beach County has steadily climbed in recent years. Currently, more than 173,000 residents risk going without enough food every day, about a third are children, according to Palm Beach County Food Bank estimates. Someone — most likely individual and private donors — will have to step in and step up. Without additional support, the absence of any federal involvement will leave a devastating hunger crisis that will plague our county. "They're our neighbors, our children, our seniors," U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., told Palm Beach Post reporter Jasmine Fernandez when asked about the impact of the cuts. "Gutting food assistance now will only increase suffering and strain the very programs that are keeping people fed and hopeful." The timing could not be worse for any government cuts to food pantries and schools. High food prices, an ongoing problem according to food bank leaders, are only going up, thanks to Trump administration policies. Tariffs will impact prices at the grocery stores as imported fruits, vegetables and other popular items face mandated markups. This, on top of bird-flu impacted shortages on chicken and eggs, hasn't helped keep food prices down. Opinion: It's Donald Trump's economy now. Can you afford it? Let us know in our poll. The threat to other safety net programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides nutritional support to seniors, people with disabilities and other low-income individuals and families, also threatens to send displaced participants to food pantries. The crackdown on immigration hasn't helped either. American agriculture already faces a labor shortage in farming, animal production and processing. Threats of deportation has made that worse, threatening higher prices and likely spot shortages on grocery store shelves. Neither trend helps local food pantries. Pantries are already seeing rising demand for their services. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, administrators like Ruth Mageria of CROS Ministries in Lake Worth Beach have seen a 71% increase in people seeking food aid. Citing the area's high cost of living, Mageria told the Post: "People would rather make sure they have a rood over their heads. Then, they will come look for food assistance." Whatever the reasons driving people to food pantries, it's clear that they now lack a key tool in fighting hunger. The USDA grant programs were the bridge food pantries used to stock their shelves and help hungry families. The federal funds went to local farmers in a program that benefitted both agriculture and communities like the Glades. Opinion: I am not an economist. But even I know that Trump's tariffs are bad. At the moment, that resource is gone. Congress, of course could actually do its job and pass a farm bill that would have money to restore, if not strengthen the USDA feeding programs. Fat chance of that. The Republican-controlled House and Senate seem satisfied with either allowing the current administration to make inexcusable cuts and changes to federal programs, or simply passing continuing budget resolutions that stave off government shutdowns but not address ongoing problems. In light of that reality, the onus is on us, as individuals and local organizations, to pony up and address what is becoming a growing food insecurity issue. As the phrase goes: "No one will save us but us." This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Federal funding cuts hurt food banks, worsen hunger crisis | Editorial
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Indiana kids, farmers lose funding as USDA suspends farm to school grants for 2025
Another federal program meant to help deliver local fresh produce to students is being delayed after funding for this year's Farm to School grants was suspended. The United States Department of Agriculture alerted schools last week that fiscal year 2025 grants for the Patrick Leahy Farm to School program had been canceled, preventing millions of dollars from flowing to local school districts or local agencies across the country. The yearly competitive Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program was started in 2013. Last year Indiana received close to $179,000 for three projects, one being a school garden initiative at PilotED Schools at Bethel Park Elementary in Indianapolis. In an email from the USDA press office, it said that the fiscal year 2025 grant process, which was developed under the Biden administration, 'included scoring criteria inconsistent with President Trump's Executive Order.' It did not specify what scoring criteria are at odds. The statement also said the USDA would not move further with this year's grant process and instead carry over this year's funds to next year's fiscal cycle. Funds from last year's cycle are available for previously qualified schools until they are spent, the USDA said. More funding cuts: How USDA's budget cuts will affect Indiana food banks and school food programs This announcement comes soon after the USDA announced a cut to its Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement program that also provided local farmers funding to help deliver produce to schools. The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program is meant to help in planning, developing and implementation of farm to school program with the goal of 'connecting school-age children and adults to their food sources through nutrition education, school gardens, and local food procurement,' according to the National Farm to School Network. Since 2013, the program has awarded $100 million for a total of 1,275 projects. In fiscal year 2024, the USDA awarded a record amount of funding for the grant program, $14.3 million, to schools across the country, impacting an estimated 1.9 million students, according to the USDA website. One local school being affected by these cuts is Purdue Polytechnic High School, a charter high school that has two campuses in Indianapolis. Shana Cash, the director of Health and wellness for Purdue Polytechnic told IndyStar that they had applied for a $50,000 Farm to School grant that was meant to help their Englewood campus with its urban farm operations. Cash said the funding would have helped them purchase equipment like a walk-in cooler, that would store the food produced on their school farm and integrate the locally grown food into the school's nutrition program. Recent Ed News: Indiana property tax caps hurt school funding, study finds, as lawmakers mull new changes 'In a school where nearly 70% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, the importance of providing access to fresh, healthy meals cannot be overstated, particularly given the food insecurity many families face,' Cash said. Karen Spangler, the policy director at the National Farm to School Network, which works to provide more education to children about food systems and supports delivering more locally grown food to students, said that the USDA funding is one of the only dedicated funding sources for farm-to-school activities. At a time where everything is more expensive for schools and farmers, Spangler said, having this funding suddenly taken away adds another layer of difficulty for these local schools and farms. Keep up with school news: Sign up for Study Hall, IndyStar's free weekly education newsletter. Spangler said that even if the funding does come back in 2026, there is a cost to losing the momentum for these projects. 'Losing the time to plan and obviously for people like farmers, they were already planning for and investing in things for their season for a harvest that they may not be actually delivering until September,' Spangler said. 'Schools also have a super long time frame for purchasing for school projects.' Since 2013, Indiana has received around $2.4 million in farm-to-school grants, according to the National Farm to School Network's dashboard. Contact IndyStar K-12 education reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@ Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana schools face setback as USDA suddenly halts farm to school grants
