The Trump administration has terminated an annual government hunger report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Saturday.
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the termination of future Household Food Security Reports. These redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous studies do nothing more than fear monger,” the USDA said Saturday in a press release.
“For 30 years, this study—initially created by the Clinton administration as a means to support the increase of SNAP eligibility and benefit allotments—failed to present anything more than subjective, liberal fodder,” the department added.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the cancellation.
“Trends in the prevalence of food insecurity have remained virtually unchanged, regardless of an over 87% increase in SNAP spending between 2019 - 2023,” the USDA said in its press release Saturday.
In July, USDA unveiled plans to close down several buildings in Washington, D.C., as part of an agency reorganization. The department will relocate its staff away from the capital region and instead focus on five “hub locations,” including Raleigh, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; Indianapolis; Fort Collins, Colo.; and Salt Lake City.
“In selecting its hub locations, USDA considered where existing concentrations of USDA employees are located and factored in the cost of living,” the department said in a previous press release.
“Washington, D.C. will still hold functions for every mission area of USDA at the conclusion of this reorganization, but USDA expects no more than 2,000 employees will remain in the NCR.”
Throughout President Trump’s first year in office, his administration has made drastic changes to the shape of the federal government in multiple ways, such as slashing staff and agencies.
Source: The Hill - News
