USDA halts more than $1B in funding for local food banks, schools
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says it has nixed more than $1 billion in funding for local food banks and schools by terminating two programs that aid state, tribal and territorial government food purchases.
The buy-local programs support the purchase and distribution of goods produced within the state or within 400 miles of the delivery destination.
The move comes amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, including some cuts to programs that critics say are mandated by law.
The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program have been canceled because they “no longer effectuate the goals of the agency,” the USDA said in a statement to The Hill.
The first program was set to funnel about $660 million in 2025 to purchase produce from local farms for schools and child care facilities, while the latter program would have allocated $500 million this year to food banks.
"With research showing school meals are the healthiest meals Americans eat, Congress needs to invest in underfunded school meal programs rather than cut services critical to student achievement and health," Shannon Gleave, School Nutrition Association (SNA) president, said in a statement.
The organization lobbied against additional cuts for school meal programs at the Capitol on Tuesday, citing a number of reductions listed in House Republicans' budget reconciliation package.
The GOP resolution would require income verification to accompany every free and reduced-price school meal application, ending broad-based categorical eligibility that allows families enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to be automatically approved for free school meals without completing another application.
It also raises the threshold for the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows schools to provide free meals to all students, demanding that 60 percent of the school's students qualify for the provision on their own for the school to make the cut, up from the current 25 percent.
The SNA said that change would take free meals away from 12 million U.S. students.
“These proposals would cause millions of children to lose access to free school meals at a time when working families are struggling with rising food costs,” Gleave said.
“Meanwhile, short-staffed school nutrition teams, striving to improve menus and expand scratch-cooking, would be saddled with time-consuming and costly paperwork created by new government inefficiencies,” she added.
Democratic governors are also objecting to the cuts, saying they will impact students and farmers alike.
“Cutting funds for these programs is a slap in the face to Illinois farmers and the communities they feed,” Gov. JB Pritzker said.
“The Trump Administration’s refusal to release grant funds doesn’t just hurt farmers in the program, it devastates our most vulnerable, food-insecure communities relying on meat, fresh produce and other nutritious donations.”
-
USDA cancels $1 billion in local meal funding for schools and food banks
The USDA said it is promoting wiser government spending, but schools say it will make it tougher to serve healthy meals.CBS News - 10h -
Trump administration halts funding for two cybersecurity efforts
The Trump administration has cut millions of dollars in federal funding from two cybersecurity initiatives, including one dedicated to helping state and local election officialsABC News - 1d -
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh brace for upcoming food reductions as aid agencies cut funding
Rohingya refugees in crammed Bangladeshi camps say they are worried about a U.S. decision to cut food rations by half beginning next month, while a refugee official says the reduction will impact ...ABC News - 3d -
USDA pauses funding to University of Maine after Trump clash with governor
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Tuesday it is temporarily pausing funding to the University of Maine System, a move that comes after President Trump and the state’s governor got ...The Hill - 9h -
Do spring games hurt more than they help? A look at the changes being made
With more schools opting out of spring games, we examine the reasoning behind those decisions.ESPN - 1d -
How a hidden benefit of a Wells Fargo asset cap removal could save the bank billions
The bank paid $2.5 billion more in remediation efforts in 2023 than in 2018, which was a year before Charlie Scharf became CEO.CNBC - 10h -
Minnesota High School Hockey Game Attracted More Fans Than Every NHL Game
ST. PAUL - This is becoming an annual article, it seems. It is why Minnesota is called the State of Hockey.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Malnutrition food product sees funding affected by USAID cuts
Plumpynut is a life-saving food product that can bring a malnourished child back to health in just weeks. But the Trump administration's cuts to USAID essentially canceled funding to two American ...CBS News - 3d -
Tribes and Students Sue Trump Administration Over Firings at Native Schools
More than one quarter of the staff members at the only two federally run colleges for Native students were cut in February.The New York Times - 2d
More from The Hill
-
Judge declines to block DOGE from taking over African development agency
A federal judge on Tuesday declined to block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from taking over the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF). U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ...The Hill - 1h -
Lutnick says Trump tariffs 'worth it' even if they lead to recession
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday that President Trump’s tariff policies will be worth it, even if the economy ends up in a recession. In an interview that aired Tuesday, CBS News’s ...The Hill - 1h -
Democrat wins special election for Minnesota state House seat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate David Gottfried is projected to win a special election for a seat in the Minnesota House, according to Decision Desk HQ. Gottfried, a pro bono ...The Hill - 2h -
GOP Rep. Mark Harris says Trump has done 'tremendous job' making case against Education Department
Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) said on Tuesday that President Trump successfully made the case against the Department of Education during his 2024 campaign, leading more Republicans to support the ...The Hill - 2h -
Sununu on possible Senate bid: 'I have not ruled it out completely'
Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he is considering running for Senate after previously rejecting the possibility. “I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have ...The Hill - 4h
More in Politics
-
Judge declines to block DOGE from taking over African development agency
A federal judge on Tuesday declined to block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from taking over the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF). U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ...The Hill - 1h -
Lutnick says Trump tariffs 'worth it' even if they lead to recession
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday that President Trump’s tariff policies will be worth it, even if the economy ends up in a recession. In an interview that aired Tuesday, CBS News’s ...The Hill - 1h -
Democrat wins special election for Minnesota state House seat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate David Gottfried is projected to win a special election for a seat in the Minnesota House, according to Decision Desk HQ. Gottfried, a pro bono ...The Hill - 2h -
GOP Rep. Mark Harris says Trump has done 'tremendous job' making case against Education Department
Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) said on Tuesday that President Trump successfully made the case against the Department of Education during his 2024 campaign, leading more Republicans to support the ...The Hill - 2h -
Sununu on possible Senate bid: 'I have not ruled it out completely'
Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he is considering running for Senate after previously rejecting the possibility. “I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have ...The Hill - 4h