Baldwin Demands for USDA to Not Take Food Away from Food Banks and Hungry Families

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and a group of her colleagues are demanding answers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) about the cancellation of previously approved funding through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) for food banks and other emergency food providers. This cancellation would take food away from hungry Wisconsinites already facing high grocery prices and further hurt Wisconsin farmers who are being squeezed by tariffs and other cuts to domestic markets.

“A cancellation of these funds could result in $500 million in lost food provisions to feed millions of Americans at a time when the need for food shelves is extremely high due to costly groceries and an uncertain economy,” wrote Baldwin and the lawmakers in a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

“These cuts will deprive Americans of food assistance, emergency food providers of necessary support to carry out their work, and American farmers of vital domestic markets,” Baldwin and the Senators continued.

TEFAP provides Wisconsinites with three to five days of free food assistance, and in 2024 alone, Wisconsin distributed over 21 million pounds of food through the program, serving over 618,000 households across 353 distribution sites statewide. The loss of this program would impact Wisconsinites across the state, and particularly those in rural, tribal, and low-income communities who are facing food insecurity and rely on this critical funding.

The letter was led by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and co-signed by 24 other Senate colleagues.

A full version of this letter is available here and below.

Dear Secretary Rollins:

We write regarding the reported cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars in previously approved funding for food banks and other emergency food providers through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). A cancellation of these funds could result in $500 million in lost food provisions to feed millions of Americans at a time when the need for food shelves is extremely high due to costly groceries and an uncertain economy. If true, this major shift in a program utilized by emergency food providers in every state in the nation will have a significant and damaging impact upon millions of people who depend upon this program for critical food assistance.

In addition, this program consists of purchases of U.S. commodities at a time when America’s growers and producers are struggling due to tariffs, proposed tariffs, animal disease and many other challenges.

According to recent statistics, nearly one in every seven Americans have faced food insecurity. Many of these households turn to community and emergency relief organizations such as food banks and food pantries to help them obtain sufficient nutrition. In 2023 alone, 50 million Americans turned to emergency food providers, according to a report from Feeding America, America’s largest network of food banks. While food banks rely on a variety of sources (including private) to obtain food for distribution through their networks, federally purchased commodities are a key part of how they provide nutritious meals to Americans.

Due to this reported change, a number of us have heard that trucks delivering American-grown foods may not arrive. These trucks represent hundreds of thousands of nutritious meals containing poultry, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. If confirmed, the cancellation of this previously announced funding also comes on top of the cancellation of Local Food for School Program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program funding, which also helps farmers deliver nutritious foods to schools and food banks. These cuts will deprive Americans of food assistance, emergency food providers of necessary support to carry out their work, and American farmers of vital domestic markets.

To help us understand USDA’s actions and their impact on communities around the country, we ask that you answer the following questions.

1. Has USDA cancelled previously approved purchases of food provided through TEFAP? If so, what level of funding has been cancelled thus far and when will state agencies be notified of any cancelled TEFAP purchases?

2. Does USDA plan to cancel additional purchases of food provided through TEFAP?

3. Has USDA paused any TEFAP food orders or purchases? If so, what is the current status of those orders or purchases? Does USDA intend to un-pause these funds?

4. Please provide information on what types of funding, by commodity, have been cancelled and the financial impact of those cancellations on producers such as pork, chicken, turkey and dairy farmers.

5. Is the funding announced on October 1, 2024 and detailed in the implementation memo that the Food and Nutrition Service sent to state agencies on December 2 rescinded?

6. Does USDA intend to use Commodity Credit Corporation funds in Fiscal Year 2025 for future purchases that will be distributed through TEFAP?

We ask for a prompt response to these questions by the end of the week.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.