During a time when food insecurity is higher than at any period since the Great Recession, a new report from ProPublica details that millions of pounds of food never arrived at the nation's food banks as planned. Why did this happen?

Millions of Pounds of Food Cut from Nation's Food Banks

Nonprofit newsroom agency ProPublica recently published a report detailing that the Trump administration suddenly cut $500 million in food delivery services from a program that sends meat, dairy, produce, and eggs to food banks and other assistance organizations located around the country. The records were obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), indicating that the food never reached its intended destinations for distribution due to cuts at the top level of the government.

The cuts amounted to about a quarter of the funding that the program was allocated in 2024. A slumping economy, spiraling inflation, and a poor job market have sent food insecurity numbers soaring. Food banks around the country are reporting a greater amount of need than they saw during the peak of the pandemic. The 94 million pounds of canceled food came from the federally funded Emergency Food Assistance Program.

The cancellations started in May when it was reported that estimates of over 100 orders of milk slated to be delivered in 31 states were abruptly halted. The records obtained by ProPublica show that there were 4,304 canceled deliveries between May and September, impacting all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Food banks warn that the actual loss is likely far greater, as not all of the deliveries for 2025 had been scheduled.

The USDA records indicate that food banks missed out on deliveries of more than 27 million pounds of chicken, two million gallons of milk, 10 million pounds of dried fruit, and 67 million eggs. Food banks warn that the actual loss is likely far greater, as not all of the deliveries for 2025 had been scheduled.

The majority of food banks lean on a combination of federal funding, money from the state level, and private giving to provide aid. States with strong internal funding and community support were able to absorb the losses from the federal government more successfully. Unfortunately, that means that some of the nation's poorest states were left in the most dire situation.

For example, the Food Bank of Central Louisiana receives more than half of its food from the federal government, with very little coming from the state level. According to U.S. Census data, this food bank serves some of the most impoverished areas of the U.S. in rural Louisiana. Staff at this food bank reported that the Trump administration canceled 10 orders for its program, amounting to over $400,000 of pork, chicken, cheese, milk, eggs, and various fruits. The food bank was forced to cut its distributions by about half over the summer as supplies dwindled.

About the Emergency Food Assistance Program

The Emergency Food Assistance Program dates back to 1983. The program was launched in an effort to purchase farmers’ surplus food and ferry it out to low-income Americans, helping both farmers and those in need. The budget for the program is usually authorized once every five years as part of the overall Farm Bill. During his first term in office, President Donald Trump added funding to the program to help farmers who had been hit hard at the hands of retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. The extra money helped food banks to serve more Americans in need, resulting in nearly twice as much money in 2018.

However, the newest Trump administration decided to cut $500 million that had already been approved, saying that the funding was simply a "Biden-era slush fund." While the government is still providing food through other avenues within the umbrella of the program, food banks were not prepared for the abrupt cancellation of deliveries during the middle of the fiscal year.

Amplifying the food shortages are the growing concerns over cuts to SNAP and Medicaid. The bulk of Americans who receive aid from food assistance programs are also Medicaid recipients, compounding the hurt when both forms of aid are cut. The thousands of federal workers who are currently going without pay during the ongoing federal government shutdown are another cause for concern as food insecurity worsens.

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