The Trump administration has eliminated an annual U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) survey that tracks the number of Americans who have trouble accessing food, according to the Wall Street Journal. The survey, which has been active since the mid-1990s, is utilized by federal, state, and local leaders to allocate funding for food-assistance programs and evaluate their performance.
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“This nonstatutory report became overly politicized and upon subsequent review, was unnecessary to carry out the work of the Department,” said USDA spokesperson Alec Varsamis.
Hunger Survey Canceled as Millions Expected to Lose Food Aid
The news comes several months after President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill passed into law, which contained provisions to reduce food stamp funding for lower-income workers. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 3 million people could lose food stamp eligibility because of the bill.
Nutritional advocates have criticized the move, arguing that the loss of the survey will make it harder to track the real impact of food insecurity at a time when millions are already losing access to benefits. “This follows the playbook of many non-democracies that cancel or manipulate reports that would otherwise show less-than-perfect news,” said Center for American Progress senior director of federal budget policy Bobby Kogan.
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