Rep. Mike Levin Visits Feeding San Diego to Highlight Impact of Trump Policies on Fight Against Hunger
San Diego, CA – Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) visited Feeding San Diego’s food distribution center to meet with volunteers and learn how the Trump Administration’s cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Purchase Assistance program (LFPA) will undermine efforts to fight hunger in the region. LFPA provides funding to help organizations like Feeding San Diego purchase food grown and produced locally. These cuts take away an essential funding stream for food banks, hurting farmers and the people who rely on food banks.
“Despite claims that he would lower prices on Day One, the Trump Administration has only driven food prices higher, forcing more people to turn to food banks to put food on the table. New tariffs will make things even worse,” said Rep. Levin. “Now, the Administration is taking another step that will directly harm families in our region and make it harder for food banks to help people in need. Fighting hunger has always been one of my top priorities in Congress. I’ll continue to stand up for food banks, defend food assistance programs from grueling cuts, and push for the restoration of federal funding.”
“The recent USDA cuts will have a profound impact on hunger relief efforts, making it even harder for organizations like Feeding San Diego to meet the growing need in our community,” said Bob Kamensky, CEO of Feeding San Diego. “Families who rely on these programs will face even greater challenges in accessing nutritious food. We are incredibly grateful to Congressman Levine for visiting Feeding San Diego today and for his commitment to understanding the urgent issues at hand. His support is critical as we work together to ensure no one in our community goes hungry”
Feeding San Diego was anticipating receiving over $1 million in funding from LFPA next year. With these recent cuts, once its current funding runs out, it will need to find a new funding stream. For Feeding San Diego, this could result in a shortfall of 500,000 pounds of food, enough to produce 400,000 meals.
Cuts to these programs hurt everyone from children to farmers. One in five Californians struggle with food insecurity, and federal programs play a critical role in ensuring food banks have the funding they need to meet demand. By cutting programs to help purchase locally-gown foods, the Administration is stripping away funding that supports local farmers and feeds people in need. This comes in addition to cuts to additional food assistance programs such as The Emergency Food Assistance Program and House Republicans’ proposed cuts to CalFresh.
In response to these cuts, Rep. Levin sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, along with Members of the California delegation, demanding the Administration reverse these devastating cuts.
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