“The elimination of this report will mask the devastating impact of historic cuts to our nation’s largest and most effective anti-hunger program, making it harder to hold ourselves accountable as a nation that ensures all children have the food they need,” said Filipic.
Contact: Johanna Elsemore at jelsemore@strength.org
WASHINGTON, DC — Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its Household Food Security in the United States in 2024 report, showing 1 in 5 children live in food insecure households. This will be the last of its kind, as the Administration announced it is discontinuing the annual survey, which has measured hunger in America for 30 years. The following is a statement from Anne Filipic, chief executive officer for Share Our Strength and its No Kid Hungry campaign:
“The latest Household Food Security report shows the continuation of an inexcusable trend: 14 million kids are facing hunger in a nation that has the resources to ensure every child is fed. What’s more, the Administration has decided to discontinue this report, which for the past three decades has helped elected leaders, advocates and philanthropists alike to understand the impact of policy decisions and invest efficiently in the programs that most effectively end hunger.
“The government is uniquely positioned to conduct this body of research, which forms the foundation for food insecurity data tracking nationwide, and other entities will not be able to fill in the gap. The anti-hunger community stands united in calling on USDA to reinstate this report, so we can ensure both our own efforts and taxpayer dollars are focused on the best possible strategies to eliminate hunger. If USDA does not act, Congress must take action to ensure this survey and report continue.
“This comes as nearly $200 billion in cuts to SNAP, including a massive cost shift that puts an unprecedented administrative and financial burden on states, begin to go into effect. In the worst case scenario, some states could be forced to stop providing SNAP benefits altogether. SNAP households are already feeling the impact, and as these devastating cuts continue to be rolled out over the next couple of years, it will become harder and harder for nearly 42 million Americans to access grocery benefits and feed their families. The result will be a nationwide spike in child hunger.
“We’ve seen this before. Two years ago, the USDA’s annual report showed that when anti-hunger and poverty investments were allowed to expire, child hunger skyrocketed. The elimination of this report will mask the devastating impact of historic cuts to our nation’s largest and most effective anti-hunger program, making it harder to hold ourselves accountable as a nation that ensures all children have the food they need.
“Measured or unmeasured, a spike in hunger will hurt millions of children who rely on nutritious food to perform well in school and grow up healthy and strong. It’s absolutely critical Congress act now to mitigate the harm from the devastating cuts to SNAP that will threaten the ability of American families to put that food on the table.”
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.