WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is ending the federal government’s annual report on hunger in America, stating that it had become “overly politicized” and “rife with inaccuracies.” The decision follows President Trump's signing of legislation that drastically reduced government support for low-income families.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the recent tax and spending cuts bill means 3 million people would lose eligibility for food stamps, known officially as SNAP benefits.
Reports first emerged in The Wall Street Journal about the discontinuation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Household Food Security Report. The USDA has indicated that the last report, due to be released on October 22, 2024, will be its final one.
In a statement, the USDA argued that the survey questions were subjective and did not portray a true representation of food security dynamics in the country. They cited lowering poverty rates and increasing wages under the current administration as reasons for their position.
Despite governmental claims of economic improvement, critics have swiftly condemned the decision. Bobby Kogan, a senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, noted on social media that the administration's choice to cancel the survey is reminiscent of tactics used by non-democratic regimes to suppress unfavorable information.
“Trump is cancelling an annual government survey that measures hunger in America, rather than allow it to show hunger increasing under his tenure,” Kogan stated.
This noteworthy shift has raised alarms about the government’s transparency and ability to accurately assess the challenges related to food insecurity and poverty in America.
