What was the purpose of the USDA's food security survey that Trump canceled, and why do experts consider its cancellation problematic?

The USDA's food security survey—administered by the Census Bureau from 1995 to 2025 as an 18-question supplement to the Current Population Survey—measured household access to enough food for a healthy lifestyle, asking questions like whether anyone skipped meals due to lack of food or couldn't afford balanced meals; it served as the 'gold standard' for understanding food access and informed policy and agency programs, and its cancellation creates a 'void in information on prevalence of food insecurity,' making it much more difficult to assess whether Trump's SNAP cuts lead to rising hunger, especially among children.

How many people lost SNAP benefits after Trump's policy changes, and what did the final USDA food security survey reveal about national food insecurity?

Since Trump's tax and spending law signed last July—which shifted SNAP funding to states and expanded work requirements—4.7 million people (about 11% of participants) have lost SNAP benefits, with that figure expected to rise; the final USDA food security survey, released last December, showed that 13.7% of U.S. households were food insecure at some point during the year—the highest figure in a decade—though the USDA did not provide reasons for the increase.

Trump Cut to Food Security Survey Could Make Measuring US Hunger Harder

Jul 9, 2026

President Trump canceled a key USDA food security survey, complicating assessments of hunger amid SNAP benefit cuts. Experts warn this data void hinders informed policy decisions on food insecurity and child nutrition.

reuters

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