USDA Ends $1 Billion Pandemic-Era Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is ending two costly pandemic-era programs that funneled money to local farms and businesses supplying food to schools. The move will save over $1 billion in federal spending.

The cuts affect the $660 million Local Food for Schools program and its companion, the $420 million Local Food Purchase Assistance program. Both helped channel money to local agricultural businesses during COVID‘s peak.

A USDA spokesperson confirmed to The Epoch Times that while existing agreements will be honored—with $500 million already released last week—no new funding is coming in fiscal year 2025.

Rep. Andy Harris encouraged continued questions about USDA spending, saying: “As we review the request, we need to have an honest discussion about USDA’s priorities and where our constituents’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars make the greatest impact.”

Democrat states receiving millions from the program decried the cuts.

“Cutting funds for these programs is a slap in the face to Illinois farmers and the communities they feed,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in response to the announcement. In Massachusetts, where the cut affects $12 million in funding, Gov. Maura Healey criticized the decision’s impact on families already struggling with rising food costs.

Both programs started in December 2021, when COVID disrupted supply chains nationwide. The USDA launched them to help communities weather those disruptions while supporting farmers who lost business during restaurant closures. Critics say local farmers and agro-businesses overcharged for the “locally-produced” food when it could have been purchased much cheaper from local supermarkets like Aldi.

The programs continued even after supply chains recovered. Last December, the Biden administration attempted to extend them with another billion dollars through the Commodity Credit Corporation, a Depression-era fund created to stabilize agricultural markets.

–The Epoch Times with copy-editing provided by Metro Voice.