The Trump administration ends the USDA’s long-running Household Food Security Reports after more than 30 years.
Critics warn the move will obscure hunger data as food aid cuts and economic changes take effect.
The Trump administration has announced it will discontinue the government’s long-standing Household Food Security Reports, a program that has tracked hunger levels across the country for more than 30 years.
In a statement released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), officials said the reports would no longer be produced as part of the agency’s economic monitoring. They argued that the survey has lost its value and accused it of being biased. “After a thorough review of programs and reporting methods, the USDA will end the Household Food Security Reports,” the agency said, adding that the questionnaire produces “subjective” results that misrepresent conditions in rural communities at a time of falling poverty rates, rising wages and job growth.
The decision comes after major changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) championed by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans earlier in the year reforms that independent analysts warn could remove millions of Americans from food assistance. The most recent report, published in 2023, showed 13.5 percent of U.S. households were food insecure, the highest level in more than a decade.
It is unclear whether the USDA’s comments were also aimed at data for 2025, which would typically be released in 2026. Critics say the move underscores a broader clash between the Trump administration and federal statisticians. While some official economic indicators point to slowing growth and a tighter labor market, Trump has repeatedly dismissed such figures, removed the head of the Labor Department’s statistics bureau, and nominated right-wing economist E.J. Antoni to take over the role.
