Trump Administration Cancels Key U.S. Hunger Survey
The Trump administration has quietly canceled a major government survey that tracks how many Americans struggle to put food on the table, sparking concern among anti-hunger groups, researchers, and lawmakers.
The survey, known as the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement, is run yearly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). It asks households simple but vital questions like:
In the last 12 months, did you ever not have enough to eat because you couldn’t afford it?”
“Did you skip meals? Cut portion sizes? Go a whole day without eating?
The answers help paint a national picture of hunger, identifying areas that are affected, where help is needed most, and whether government programs like SNAP (food stamps) are effective.
Now, that picture is going dark.
The administration says the cancellation is part of a broader effort to “reduce paperwork” and “cut wasteful spending.” Officials argue the survey is “redundant” and that hunger data can be pulled from other sources.
But experts strongly disagree.
“This isn’t paperwork, it’s a lifeline,” said Dr. Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, a food policy researcher at Northwestern University. “This survey is the gold standard. Without it, we’re flying blind. We won’t know if families are falling through the cracks until it’s too late.”
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Anti-hunger organizations are also sounding the alarm.
“Canceling this survey is like turning off the smoke detector while the house is still burning,” said Luis Guardia, president of the Food Research & Action Center. Millions of Americans rely on food banks, school meals, and SNAP. If we don’t measure the problem, we can’t fix it.”
Lawmakers from both parties have also raised concerns. Some are pushing to restore funding for the survey through Congress.
The cancellation comes at a time when food prices remain high, pandemic-era aid has ended, and more families are visiting food pantries than at any point in recent years.
Without this data, advocates worry:
- Congress won’t know where to send help.
- States won’t know which neighborhoods need food programs most.
- Charities won’t be able to prove the scale of need to donors.
And perhaps most importantly, the voices of struggling families will go unheard.
As one food bank director in Ohio put it:
“When you stop counting people, you start forgetting them.”