Trump Administration Cancels Annual U.S. Hunger Report Amid SNAP Cuts
The USDA cites politicization and inaccuracies as critics warn the move may obscure rising food insecurity.
The administration of President Donald Trump has decided to cancel the federal government’s annual report on hunger in the United States, citing that it has become “overly politicized” and “full of inaccuracies.”
This decision comes two and a half months after Trump signed legislation sharply cutting food assistance for low-income Americans.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Republican tax and spending reduction bill passed in July would make 3 million people ineligible for food stamps, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
USDA Confirms 2024 Will Be Last Annual Hunger Report
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the cancellation of the USDA’s Household Food Security report. In a press release issued on Saturday, the department confirmed that the 2024 report, scheduled for October 22, will be the last edition.
The USDA stated: “The questions used to collect the data are entirely self-reported and do not provide an accurate picture of food security. The data is misleading and creates a narrative that does not reflect what is actually happening in rural areas, where poverty rates are currently declining, wages are increasing, and job growth is rising under the Trump administration.”
Critics Slam Trump’s Decision to End Annual Hunger Survey
Earlier this month, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the poverty rate in the United States dropped from 11% in 2023 to 10.6% last year, before Trump assumed office.
Critics quickly accused the administration of deliberately making it harder to measure hunger and evaluate the impact of SNAP cuts.
Bobby Cogan, Director of Federal Budget Policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, commented on social media: “Trump is eliminating a government survey that measures hunger in America, instead of letting it show increasing hunger under his administration.”
He added: “This mimics the approach of many non-democratic countries that cancel or manipulate reports that might show less-than-ideal news.”
