The U.S. Department of Agriculture under President Donald Trump is ending the annual survey on hunger, known as the Household Food Security Report, calling it “overly politicized.” This comes just months after the administration cut food stamp benefits for millions of low-income Americans.
The Data Is ‘Rife With Inaccuracies’
The USDA announced on Saturday that its 2024 hunger survey, scheduled for release on October 22, would be its last, according to a report by NBC News.
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In a press release, the USDA stated, “These redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous studies do nothing more than fear monger,” while adding that the questions used to collect data are “entirely subjective” and do not present an “accurate picture of actual food security.”
According to the USDA, “the data is rife with inaccuracies,” and is aimed at “creating a narrative,” which it says is “not representative of what is actually happening in the countryside as we are currently experiencing lower poverty rates, increasing wages, and job growth under the Trump Administration.”
Critics Slam Move As ‘Inexcusable’ And ‘Dangerous’
Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) said the move is aimed at making sure “no one can measure the harm” of the administration’s decision to slash food aid. He added that “for 30 years, this data has guided policy and fed hungry families. Ending it while so many struggle is inexcusable and dangerous.”
Economist Justin Wolfers echoed Levin’s views, framing the move as being aimed at removing all evidence that the “cuts to food stamps led to a rise in hunger.”
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