USDA Cuts $1 Billion by Discontinuing Two Local Food Initiatives

March 12, 2025 TruthUSA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the termination of two programs initiated during the Biden administration, which allocated billions to schools and food banks for the procurement of locally sourced food. The department stated that these programs, born out of the pandemic, should now be concluded.

Both programs previously offered financial support to educational institutions and food banks, enabling them to purchase food from local farms and ranches in recent years. The USDA’s decision to cancel this funding includes $660 million specifically for the Local Food for Schools (LFS) program, designed to assist schools and childcare centers in acquiring domestic food, and $420 million for the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program, which aided government entities in obtaining domestic food for food banks and related organizations.

Funds from existing agreements will still be distributed, but no new funding rounds are planned for fiscal year 2025, the USDA confirmed to The Epoch Times on Tuesday.

A representative from the USDA pointed out that this change should not be perceived as abrupt. Over $500 million in funds previously allocated was released last week to meet existing commitments and sustain ongoing local food purchases.

According to the spokesperson, the decision is part of the department’s strategy to phase out COVID-era emergency programs and shift towards “long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives.”

This decision has faced criticism from several Democratic governors, who contend that the cuts will negatively impact students and local farmers supplying fresh produce to educational institutions.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker expressed that “cutting funds for these programs is a slap in the face to Illinois farmers and the communities they feed,” he stated.

Likewise, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey condemned the cuts, dubbing it a “terrible cut with real impact on families” throughout the state, where escalating food prices have significantly contributed to increased childcare costs.

The LFPA and LFS programs were inaugurated in December 2021, at a time when a significant portion of the United States was grappling with the pandemic and widespread restrictions. Back then, the USDA expressed hopes that these initiatives would aid communities in navigating disruptions in food supply chains while simultaneously supporting food producers impacted by the closure of restaurants and hotels.

However, funding persisted even after supply chains were stabilized and the pandemic receded.

In December 2024, during the last days of the Biden administration, an additional funding announcement of $1 billion for the programs through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) was made by the USDA, a government fund established in 1933 for agricultural market stabilization.

The USDA under the Trump administration stated that these pandemic-related programs are no longer aligned with the post-COVID landscape and should be phased out.

According to a USDA spokesperson, “Unlike the Biden administration, which allocated billions in CCC funds to short-term programs with no vision for durability, USDA is focusing on stable, proven solutions that yield lasting impact. The COVID era has concluded—USDA’s strategy for nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward.”

The conclusion of the buy-local food program occurs amidst congressional discussions on proposals that may place additional federally funded school meal programs, like the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), at risk. The CEP allows schools to serve free meals to all students without requiring individual verification of family income and eligibility.

Supporters of the CEP argue that its elimination would disproportionately impact students in schools with high needs, while opponents argue that countless children from middle- and higher-income families are receiving free meals at the expense of taxpayers.

The availability of federally subsidized school meals has significantly increased in recent years, particularly during the pandemic when the USDA permitted all students to qualify for free meals under a waiver. This policy, which commenced in 2020 during President Trump’s term, persisted until 2022.

Source link