“Extreme actions like this reorganization plan will only hurt the millions of families who participate in the agency’s vital nutrition programs,” said Gromley.
Contact: Ryan Flaherty, rflaherty@strength.org
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing on USDA’s reorganization plan which would see a substantial number of staff positions, including for the Food and Nutrition Service, relocated outside of the Washington, D.C. area as well as the consolidation of existing regional offices. The following is a statement from Jason Gromley, Senior Director for Share Our Strength and its No Kid Hungry campaign:
“Today, Senators from both parties made it clear how important USDA’s staff is to the success of the programs it administers. Extreme actions like this reorganization plan will only hurt the millions of families who participate in the agency’s vital nutrition programs like SNAP, WIC, school meals and summer programs.
“This plan will undoubtedly lead to another exodus of public servants with expertise and institutional knowledge. With the loss of experienced staff and regional offices as well as the devastating cuts included in the recently passed budget reconciliation law, states will be left to implement the programs with far less assistance and federal funding, creating uncertainty for states, programs, and families. State agencies won’t have the resources they need to actually improve program integrity. This lack of support will be felt across all federal nutrition programs, especially Summer EBT for which states are highly dependent on receiving timely USDA approval and assistance each year.
“We are grateful for Chairman Boozman and Ranking Member Klobuchar’s commitment to ongoing oversight of USDA. The hearing made it clear that there are more questions than answers about this process, and more consultation is needed to ensure that nutrition programs will continue to effectively serve families in need. We remain ready to partner with USDA on solutions that actually improve program integrity and increase access for all Americans who are eligible for these nutrition programs so that no child experiences hunger.”
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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.