The USDA canceled an annual survey it has conducted since the 1990s to determine who is in need, and what their needs are, in order to better allocate funds where they're needed the most. Government and non-profit organizations alike use this survey to know how to best serve their communities. They depend on this survey.
The press release states, "For 30 years, this study—initially created by the Clinton administration as a means to support the increase of SNAP eligibility and benefit allotments—failed to present anything more than subjective, liberal fodder. Trends in the prevalence of food insecurity have remained virtually unchanged, regardless of an over 87% increase in SNAP spending between 2019 - 2023."
They conveniently cite a period in which SNAP was lowest, followed by the year SNAP use was highest, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus politicizing the press release. This comes only a few months after Trump's Big Beautiful Bill cut $186 billion in SNAP funding.
The press release states, "For 30 years, this study—initially created by the Clinton administration as a means to support the increase of SNAP eligibility and benefit allotments—failed to present anything more than subjective, liberal fodder. Trends in the prevalence of food insecurity have remained virtually unchanged, regardless of an over 87% increase in SNAP spending between 2019 - 2023."
They conveniently cite a period in which SNAP was lowest, followed by the year SNAP use was highest, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus politicizing the press release. This comes only a few months after Trump's Big Beautiful Bill cut $186 billion in SNAP funding.
Organizations and analysts alike have called the move itself a move of political hackery, because food insecurity is rising according to the last several years' reports, and every sign in the economy right now indicates that this year's report would have looked very bad for the Trump Administration.
https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/09/20/usda-terminates-redundant-food-insecurity-survey
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/22/nx-s1-5549115/usda-food-insecurity-survey-hunger
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