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USDA Axes Long-Running National Hunger Survey as DC Food Insecurity Deepens

Advocates warn the loss of a national benchmark will obscure the effects of SNAP cuts during a period of worsening hardship.

Pamela Smith, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, assembles boxes of food for seniors ahead of the holidays at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Volunteers assemble boxes of food for seniors ahead of the holidays at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2024.
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Overview

  • The USDA terminated the nearly 30-year Household Food Security Report, calling it redundant, costly and politicized, and said it will rely on other datasets it has not specified.
  • The department plans one final release covering 2024 on Oct. 22, 2025, after reporting higher national food insecurity in its 2023 data last year.
  • Feeding America, No Kid Hungry and state and local hunger groups say ending the survey removes a key tool for evaluating policy, citing July’s law that the CBO estimates will cut SNAP by about $187 billion through 2034 and reduce or end benefits for millions.
  • A new Capital Area Food Bank survey finds 36% of DMV households experienced food insecurity in the past year, with about 75,000 more people facing very low food security since 2022 and 41% of households with federal job loss reporting food insecurity; Richmond Fed data show a 22,100 drop in federal employment from January to May.
  • Some local providers say day-to-day operations rely on monthly, local pantry data and expect limited immediate impact, though many warn losing a consistent national series weakens accountability and targeting.