WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is officially ending the federal government’s annual report on hunger in America, claiming it has become 'overly politicized' and filled with 'inaccuracies.'
This announcement comes just months after President Donald Trump signed legislation sharply reducing food aid to low-income families. The Congressional Budget Office has predicted that tax and spending cuts enacted by Republicans earlier this year could lead to 3 million individuals losing eligibility for food stamps.
The USDA announced in a press release on Saturday that the upcoming 2024 report, set for release on October 22, will be the last of its kind. The USDA stated, 'The questions used to collect the data are entirely subjective and do not represent an accurate picture of actual food security.' They asserted that the report's data is distorted in a way that doesn't reflect the current economic situation, highlighting lower poverty rates and job growth.
However, critics quickly condemned the decision, accusing the administration of obscuring the issue of hunger. Bobby Kogan, a senior director for federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, stated on social media that this cancellation follows a pattern similar to non-democratic regimes that manipulate reports to suppress unfavorable news about their governance.
Additionally, recent data from the Census Bureau indicated that the U.S. poverty rate fell from 11% in 2023 to 10.6% last year, suggesting improvements in some economic areas, yet criticisms persist regarding the adequacy of food access for vulnerable populations.
