DOGE hits Pennsylvania food banks and farmers
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Abrupt federal funding cuts are expected to strip the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank of 6.3 million pounds of food a year — slashing its distribution by 13%.
Why it matters: Food banks, strained by inflation and rising demand, are grappling with tighter budgets as federal funding is scaled back under the banner of government efficiency.
Catch up quick: The U.S. Department of Agriculture eliminated the $500 million Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA) and paused another $500 million in funding from the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
- LFPA supports the distribution of food from local farms to food banks, pantries and community organizations. TEFAP provides food to low-income Americans in need of short-term hunger relief.
By the numbers: The LFPA cut will reduce the amount of local meat and dairy purchased from Pennsylvania farms by 3 million pounds. TEFAP cuts could reduce another 3.3 million pounds, per the food bank.
- 1 in 8 people in the food bank's 11-county service area was food insecure in 2022, a 25% increase from the prior year.
- Last year, the organization distributed nearly 48 million meals throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.
What they're saying: Colleen Young, director of government affairs at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, said the move could hit rural food pantries and Pennsylvania's agricultural producers particularly hard.
- "In Pennsylvania, we're the third-largest producer of foods purchased by the USDA through TEFAP, so if there is a massive cut in those food purchases, that's going to impact Pennsylvania agricultural producers," Young said.
The other side: The USDA said the LFPA cuts are a "return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives," per USA Today.
The latest: Gov. Josh Shapiro last week called the cuts "reckless and harmful," noting the USDA had already signed a contract to provide Pennsylvania with $13 million in LFPA funds over the next three years.
- Pennsylvania agriculture secretary Russell Redding appealed the cancellation in a letter to the USDA.
- Since the program launched two and a half years ago, Pennsylvania has received over $28 million in LFPA funds, Shapiro said, supporting 189 farms and 14 food banks. He said the funding is vital for farmers still recovering from the pandemic, with some relying on it for up to 15% of their budgets.
What we're watching: Shapiro said he's ready to sue if the funds are not restored.
- Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and Secretary Redding will host a roundtable at the food bank in Duquesne today to discuss the funding cuts' impact on Pittsburgh-area families.