Trump Administration Axes 'Politicized' Hunger Report Just Months After SNAP Cuts Strip Aid from 3 Million Americans

White House memo reveals the Trump administration’s decision to cancel the USDA’s annual Household Food Security Report, labeled “politicized,” months after SNAP cuts disqualified 3 million Americans from food assistance, effective post-October 22, 2025 release. (Courtesy Community Lifeline Center)

Washington, DC – 20 September 2025 - In a move critics decried as an attempt to bury the fallout from slashing food assistance, the Trump administration announced Saturday it will discontinue the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) longstanding annual Household Food Security in the United States report, labeling it "overly politicized" and "rife with inaccuracies." The decision, effective after the 2024 edition's release on October 22, comes just 2.5 months after President Donald Trump signed a Republican-backed tax and spending bill in July that tightens eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects the legislation will disqualify about 3 million people from SNAP benefits, expanding work requirements to include parents of dependent children, adults up to age 64, and certain veterans who must now work, volunteer, or train to maintain eligibility.SNAP, which served an average of 41.7 million people monthly in 2024 (12.3% of the U.S. population), is one of the nation's most effective anti-hunger tools, reducing food insecurity and improving health outcomes while cutting long-term healthcare costs, according to the Food Research & Action Center.

The Household Food Security Report, launched in the mid-1990s, has annually measured the percentage of U.S. households facing food insecurity—defined as limited or uncertain access to adequate food due to financial constraints—using a standardized 18-question survey. The 2024 report is anticipated to capture the initial effects of the SNAP changes, potentially showing a rise in hunger rates for the first time since pre-Trump years, when the Census Bureau pegged the poverty rate at 10.6% in 2024, down from 11% in 2023.

USDA officials justified the cancellation by claiming the report's methodology had been compromised, though they provided no specific examples of inaccuracies.White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the move during a briefing, stating it refocuses resources on "real solutions like job training" rather than "flawed metrics that fuel partisan narratives."

The announcement ignited swift condemnation from Democrats, anti-hunger advocates, and public health experts, who accused the administration of creating a "data blackout" to obscure rising hunger amid economic pressures.Sen. Elizabeth Warren said "This is straight out of an authoritarian playbook—cut aid to the vulnerable, then kill the report that would expose the damage. Hunger isn't 'politicized'; it's a crisis Trump is worsening." The Food Research & Action Center expressed concern, stating, "SNAP lifts millions out of poverty; ending this report obscures evidence of its success and the harm caused by these cuts."

Supporters, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), praised the decision as "cutting bureaucratic fat" and aligning with Trump's "America First" agenda to promote self-reliance.The move echoes earlier Trump-era actions, such as delaying the 2020 poverty report amid COVID-19 spikes in need.Without the report, tracking national hunger will rely on fragmented state data or private surveys, potentially delaying responses to emerging crises. Legal challenges from advocacy groups are expected, testing the administration's authority to unilaterally end the decades-old program.