An American Hunger Crisis Is Coming 

After 30 years of publication, the U.S. Department of Agriculture abruptly canceled its annual report on the prevalence of hunger in America. The USDA’s press release condemned the report as “politicized,” “subjective, liberal fodder” that did “nothing more than fear monger.” Apparently unaware of its repetitiveness, it called the survey “redundant” and “extraneous.” This announcement is part of a troubling trend by the second Donald Trump administration to suppress crucial data about the impact of Trump’s policies on the economy. (An expected report on consumer spending and inflation has been inexplicably delayed.) But even if Trump hides the data, he cannot hide the damage. Millions of Americans could soon face going hungry due to ballooning costs, a weakening labor market, and catastrophic cuts to food assistance programs.  

Even before Trump’s latest term and the GOP’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” hunger in America has been rising, with millions of Americans reporting difficulties affording food, cutting the size of meals, skipping meals altogether, or losing weight. The USDA’s 2023 report found that 13.5 percent of U.S. households were “food insecure”—up from 10.5 percent in 2020. (The federal government deems a person “food insecure” if their ability to acquire adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources.”) More than 50 million people visited a food bank in 2023, according to the nonprofit Feeding America, and demand is growing. For instance, the Arlington Food Assistance Center in relatively affluent suburban Washington, D.C., now serves an average of 3,850 families a week—an 84 percent increase over the last four years.  

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed in July, includes provisions to remove people from SNAP (formerly food stamps) or reduce the help they receive. The nonprofit Center on Budget and Policy Priorities predicts that up to 4 million people could lose some or all of their benefits, with dire effects. 

The changes to SNAP include expanded work requirements for “able-bodied” adults, which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates will cause at least 2.4 million people to drop from the rolls. Under the new rules, which kick in this fall, recipients up to age 64 are now required to work (up from age 59), and veterans, homeless people, and young people aging out of foster care (all of whom had previously been exempted). The law also now denies benefits to legal permanent residents (e.g., green card holders), which the CBO projects will force another 90,000 people to lose aid. 

Yet another provision prevents cost-of-living increases in benefits, further straining needy families. As it is, benefits aren’t enough to cover “modestly priced meals” ($3.41) in 99 percent of U.S. counties, according to the Urban Institute. The average monthly benefit per person in 2024 was just $192—or $6.31 a day.  

Most concerning, however, is a new requirement that states pay up to 15 percent of program costs if “error rates” exceed certain thresholds. While CBO estimates that the federal government could save about $41 billion by 2034, cash-strapped states say they cannot afford this burden. Tennessee, for instance, could see its SNAP costs rise from $56.7 million to $165.3 million, according to the state, while Pennsylvania would have to come up with $660 million. A June letter to Congressional leaders signed by 23 governors warned that states “will need to find millions or even billions of extra dollars in their budgets or be forced to leave the SNAP program entirely (emphasis in the original).”  

Given the law’s work requirements, it’s inevitable that “error” rates will be high. “Errors” are not synonymous with “fraud” and include underpayments and overpayments, according to federal regulations. Maryland, for instance, reported a 13.6 percent error rate in 2024. Still, nearly 5 percentage points of that error rate was due to underpayments to beneficiaries getting less than they were owed. Under the scheme to punish states for these oversights, beneficiaries risk getting even less (or nothing at all) if the state can’t find the money to pay its share of program costs.  

This systematic dismantling of SNAP comes amid economic turmoil for many households, thanks to Trump’s federal layoffs and mishandling of the economy.  

Though the federal government failed to release new job data last week because of the government shutdown, other sources indicate a grim job market. Payroll processor ADP, for instance, said private employment dropped by 32,000 in September, while employment firm Challenger Gray & Christmas said employers cut 54,064 jobs last month. In addition, year-to-date job openings have been the highest since the pandemic, and employers’ hiring plans have been “the weakest since 2009,” the firm said.  

In the Washington, D.C., area, the jobs picture could worsen if the White House follows through on its threat of more mass layoffs with the shutdown. In its 2025 Hunger Report, the Capital Area Food Bank estimates that DOGE-related job cuts earlier this year led to 14,500 firings or layoffs of federal workers and 3,240 layoffs of contractors. At least 11,250 additional workers opted for “fork in the road” separations, which took effect September 30. Many who had resigned early on, hoping to find private-sector work, are having trouble landing new jobs.  

Compounding the misery is inflation, fueled by Trump’s tariffs. According to the Tax Foundation, tariffs will affect 75 percent of U.S. food imports, and the total tax on all goods could add up $1,300 per household in 2026 and $1600 in 2026 (unless the Supreme Court finds them unconstitutional).  

Grocery prices are 29 percent higher than they were pre-pandemic. Beef prices are at record highs, partly due to the 76 percent tariff on Brazilian beef and droughts that have forced ranchers to cull their herds. Coffee prices are up 20.9 percent, apples 9.6 percent, and bananas 6.6 percent.  

The “food-at-home component” of the Consumer Price Index rose 0.6% in August from July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which was the biggest month-over-month increase since August 2022. Newer data would likely have shown the same trends if the government’s report hadn’t been postponed. Before the shutdown, BLS announced it would delay its 2024 report on consumer spending to October 30, citing—without irony—the need to “improve data quality.”  

But with or without data, Americans are suffering. An August Associated Press/NORC survey found that 53 percent of Americans say the cost of groceries is “a major source” of stress.  

The Capital Area Food Bank’s report surveyed about 4,000 households in the metro D.C. area and found that 41 percent of households affected by federal jobs and spending cuts were “food insecure” as of May. Forty percent said their household finances had declined, including 36 percent of households earning between $79,000-$179,000 and 28 percent earning more than $180,000. More than half (55 percent) of these households said they were buying “lower cost, less healthy food” to stretch their dollars. 

Ironically, Trump voters will be among the Americans hardest hit by the president’s policies. According to the USDA’s 2023 report, the states with the highest levels of food insecurity were in the South: Arkansas (18.9 percent), Louisiana (16.2 percent), Texas (16.9 percent), and Oklahoma (15.4 percent).  

As many as 25 percent of military families were also food insecure—almost double the civilian rate. According to the nonprofit news organization Investigate Midwest, farming-dependent counties (444 counties) have seen an 11.7 percent increase in food insecurity in the last decade, with an average rate of 14.5 percent.  

Cruelest of all, Trump has undercut a key institution that could stem the tsunami of need unleashed by his policies: the nation’s food banks.  

As part of his spending cuts earlier this year, Trump slashed $500 million from the USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provides food banks with domestically produced meat, dairy, eggs, and produce. This spring, according to ProPublica, the administration canceled deliveries of 94 million pounds of food to the nation’s food banks, including 2,300 gallons of milk for the Heart of Alabama Food Bank; 19,000 pounds of pork chops to food banks in Florida; 29,200 pounds of turkey breasts to nonprofits in Nebraska; and 270,000 eggs to pantries in South Carolina. The nonprofit Feeding America, which supports a network of more than 200 food banks nationwide, lost 20 percent of its expected deliveries.  

In addition, Trump also cut $500 million from the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which helps states, local, and tribal governments buy food from local farmers. One Louisiana food bank told ProPublica that its food packages for clients have shrunk by half because of the cutbacks. “We’re not turning people away with no food. It’s not to that point,” the food bank’s director told ProPublica. “But people are getting less food when they come to us.” 

Meanwhile, GOP Congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, were spotted indulging at the lavish Bistro Cacao on Capitol Hill the first night of the government shutdown. As reported by The Daily Beast, “the plush eatery … is known for its velvet drapery, antique lamps, and magret de canard or filet de mignon, both priced at $45 per dish.” Wines can run $750 a bottle, while a glass of Scotch can set you back $60.  

The GOP’s message to hungry Americans couldn’t be clearer: Let them eat cake.