Ignoring millions in need: Trump administration drops hunger report

Pars Today – Following cuts to food assistance, the Trump administration has eliminated the government’s annual report on hunger in the United States.

The Trump administration has decided to scrap the federal government’s annual report on hunger in the United States, citing excessive politicization and numerous inaccuracies in the report.

According to Pars Today, citing NBC News, this decision came two and a half months after President Trump signed a law that sharply cut food assistance for low-income individuals. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that the law will leave three million people without access to food aid, also known as SNAP benefits.

The decision to eliminate the Household Food Security Report, previously published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

In a statement, the Agriculture Department said that the 2024 report, scheduled for release on October 22, will be the last edition.

The Agriculture Department added: “The questions used to collect the data are entirely subjective and do not provide an accurate picture of the true state of food security. The data is full of inaccuracies that are used to create a false and misleading narrative, while we are currently witnessing a reduction in poverty, rising wages, and job growth under the Trump administration.”

The U.S. Census Bureau reported earlier this month that the poverty rate last year (before the start of President Trump’s term) fell from 11 percent to 10.6 percent.

Critics quickly condemned the administration’s move, arguing that by politicizing and eliminating the federal government’s annual report on hunger in the United States, the Trump administration is attempting to distort the truth.

Bobby Kogan, Chief of Federal Budget Policy in the U.S. and a left-wing voice, wrote on social media: “Trump is canceling the annual report that measures hunger in the United States because he does not want it to show that hunger has increased during his administration. This is similar to the methods of many non-democratic governments that eliminate or manipulate reports presenting unfavorable news.”