Trump Administration Scraps Annual US Hunger Report amid Food Aid Cuts

The move comes just weeks after US President Donald Trump signed legislation cutting food assistance programs, a step that the Congressional Budget Office estimated would leave 3 million people without access to food stamps, known as SNAP benefits.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that the US Department of Agriculture would discontinue the Household Food Security Report. The USDA confirmed the 2024 edition, scheduled for release on Oct. 22, would be the last.

“The questions used to collect the data are entirely subjective and do not present an accurate picture of actual food security,” the USDA said in a statement. “The data is rife with inaccuracies slanted to create a narrative that is not representative of what is actually happening in the countryside, as we are currently experiencing lower poverty rates, increasing wages, and job growth under the Trump Administration.”

The Census Bureau reported earlier this month that the poverty rate declined from 11% in 2023 to 10.6% last year, prior to Trump taking office.

Critics accused the administration of deliberately undermining oversight of hunger as it reduces social welfare.

“Trump is cancelling an annual government survey that measures hunger in America, rather than allow it to show hunger increasing under his tenure,” Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, wrote on social media. “This follows the playbook of many non-democracies that cancel or manipulate reports that would otherwise show less-than-perfect news.”