Durbin Calls Out Trump's Cuts To USDA While At Nourishing Hope Food Pantry
CHICAGO — U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined leaders at Nourishing Hope’s Chicago headquarters to discuss the impact of the Trump Administration’s cuts to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on food pantries and their ability to serve their communities.
USDA halted $1 billion from the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program, which reimburses states for purchasing fresh produce from local farmers, which is then distributed to food pantries like Nourishing Hope. Without funding, the IL-EATS program, which is funded through USDA’s LFPA program, has been suspended, causing more than 175 small Illinois farmers and hundreds of food banks throughout the state to be left in the lurch.
“The Trump Administration has already cut $1.5 billion from several crucial USDA programs that help food pantries like Nourishing Hope,” said Durbin. “Now, House Republicans want to cut SNAP and Medicaid by hundreds of billions of dollars in order to give billionaires a tax break. This is bad for Illinois and bad for America. I’ll continue fighting to protect families who are just trying to put food on their tables.”
“Food pantries on their own cannot provide enough food for a family without the benefits of SNAP. Current SNAP benefits are already incredibly tight for families and seniors, with an average of $6.40/day in benefits. Cutting that already small allotment harms people who are already struggling to stretch that amount. Folks may need to make decisions about not paying for medication or utilities just to be able to buy groceries. When farmers, food banks, and food pantries who rely on USDA funding start struggling, it's our food insecure neighbors who suffer. We need legislators to protect support networks like SNAP and to prevent cuts to USDA funding. 1 in 5 Chicago households are experiencing hunger today. The neighbors who come to Nourishing Hope for support can't afford cuts to already vulnerable support systems like SNAP,” said Jennie Hull, Interim CEO of Nourishing Hope.
Durbin joined U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), both members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and 29 Senators in a letter demanding a reversal of USDA’s cancellation of food purchase programs across the United States, warning of the harmful impacts this move will have on both families and American farmers. Durbin and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) also led a letter to press USDA for more information about the cancellation of previously-approved funding through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) for food banks and other emergency food providers.
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