Overview
- The Trump administration announced on Sept. 20 that USDA will discontinue the annual Household Food Security report after issuing 2024 data.
- USDA called the long-running survey “redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous” and said it “does nothing more than fear monger,” according to its press release.
- The department said other “more timely and accurate” datasets exist but did not identify them, prompting Democrats to seek specific alternatives.
- Roughly a dozen Economic Research Service staff involved with the report were placed on paid administrative leave, which their union alleges is retribution for disclosures.
- The survey, fielded through Census CPS questions since the mid‑1990s, is widely used by policymakers and food banks; 2023 data showed about 47 million people experienced food insecurity, and recent SNAP reductions—including new eligibility limits that could cut benefits for an estimated 2.4 million people—raise stakes for continued measurement.