In late September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) quietly announced that it will no longer publish the Household Food Security report, which has tracked food access in America for three decades.

In a statement posted on its official website, the USDA described the report as “redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous,” adding that it does “nothing more than fear monger.”

As the Wall Street Journal explained, the data for the report were collected each year in December and analyzed by the department to measure food insecurity across different demographic groups and states. Lawmakers and nonprofits used the findings to identify areas where funding might be needed for food assistance programs.

The USDA, under President Donald Trump, asserts that the report is simply a “means to support the increase of SNAP (a federally funded program that acts similarly to cash for those who need assistance with purchasing food) eligibility and benefit allotments,” adding that it “failed to present anything more than subjective, liberal fodder.”

But, according to the Center for American Progressthe USDA isn’t revealing the full story. It pointed out that, beyond SNAP, other programs such as free and reduced-price school lunchesthe Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program for Children, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children also rely on the data.

The USDA’s statement also claimed that food insecurity in the U.S. has remained “virtually unchanged” despite an 87% increase in SNAPspending by the government between 2019 and 2023. However, the Center for American Progress noted that this may not be entirely accurate.

“Despite the USDA’s claim that trends in food insecurity have remained virtually unchanged in recent years, the evidence suggests otherwise. Food insecurity actually fell to its lowest rate in decades in 2021 thanks to the economic stimulus provided to families in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which included temporary expansions to SNAP,” the organization said in a statement. It noted that in 2023, “food insecurity rose to levels not seen since 2014 as the temporary assistance expired and inflation rose.” The center added that the cuts to SNAP enacted under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will “push food insecurity even higher.”

As Colleen Heflin, a professor at Syracuse University who has studied the report for its entire three decades, told the Wall Street Journal, the data may be be more important now than ever before. “Not having this measure for 2025 is particularly troubling given the current rise in inflation and deterioration of labor market conditions, two conditions known to increase food insecurity,” she shared.

There is also abundant data supporting Heflin’s trend assumptions. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reported that in 2023, 33.6 million adults and 13.8 million children lived in “food-insecure households,” up from 30.8 million adults and 13.4 million children in 2022. It also referenced an Urban Institute report on food security, which found that 27% of adults experienced food insecurity in 2023, a 2% increase from the previous year. This increase, the study indicated, coincided with declines in food assistance programs and rising inflation. The center noted that “The rise in food hardship shows that Congress should protect and improve upon policies that help families afford a healthy diet.”

Organizations like Feeding Americaa nationwide network of food banks that helps feed more than 40 million Americans, will also miss the report. They noted that although the current survey “has never been a perfect resource,” it remains “a valuable one that helped us all to track trends over time, highlight the experiences of households and children, and understand how programs and support can influence families’ stability and self-sufficiency.”

The Household Food Security report, however, isn’t the first critical report to face this kind of treatment from the Trump administration. In August, Trump fired Dr. Erika McEntarferthe commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after that department released a less-than-favorable jobs report, with the President accusing her of manipulating the numbers to make him “look bad.”

The USDA noted in its statement that it will continue to “prioritize statutory requirements and, where necessary, use the bevy of more timely and accurate data sets available to it.” However, Feeding America is also calling on government leaders, partners, and the American public at large to join in “finding new ways to understand and track progress toward improving food access. Together, we can ensure the voices of people facing hunger guide the path forward, bringing us closer to ending hunger for good.”