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The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ending its annual report on household food security. These reports have provided a vital public accounting of food insecurity in the United States since the 1990s.
These reports have also been an invaluable tool for states and local officials to be able to distribute the needed food assistance to people who qualify for help. In the last report in 2023, 18 million households were proven to need at least some assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) starting in 2026.
It appears to me that this change is because our president and administration does not want Americans to know how many of us are going hungry due to the SNAP cuts. The USDA claims on their web page that they have a vision “that better nourishes Americans.”
The Big Beautiful Bill called for $186 billion in cuts to SNAP in the next 10 years. Maine will have at least a $53 million a year loss in funds. Many Mainers are going to go hungry.
Many of the elderly that I know have only $500 to $1,600 a month to live on. They face a stark choice: food, heat or medicine. I think this is a crime against humanity. The richest country in the world will needlessly inflict hunger on its most vulnerable citizens, while the rich become richer.
Sadly, the president, by demagoguery and lies, has convinced many of the most vulnerable that he alone will Make America Great Again.
Norma Atherton
Orrington
