IDAHO (KIFI) — Idaho food banks lost out on 370,000 pounds of food shipments from May through September due to massive cuts to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), according to USDA records obtained by the investigative website ProPublica.
These canceled shipments, first detailed in a report by non-profit newspaper The Idaho Capital Sun, included meat, dairy, and fresh produce intended for distribution centers in North Idaho, Lewiston, Boise, and Pocatello. Local partners, including Community Action Partnership and El-Ada Community Action Partnership, lost planned deliveries of essential items like cheese, chicken, turkey, and pork.
According to the records obtained by ProPublica, the USDA cut approximately 94 million pounds of food nationwide from the program under the direction of the Trump administration, resulting in a loss of over $500 million in scheduled deliveries.
In a statement released in March, the USDA justified the cancellation of aid as “prioritizing stable, proven solutions.”
“USDA is prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact. The COVID era is over — USDA’s approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward.”
Compounding Crisis: SNAP Benefits Halted Due to Government Shutdown
The canceled aid comes as the USDA informed the states that the ongoing government shutdown has placed a hold on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly known as food stamps. Due to the gridlock in the Senate and the House, over 42 million Americans, including over 130,000 Idahoans, who rely on these essential benefits, will not receive crucial funds in November.
The USDA posted a statement on its website addressing the halt in benefits, stating:
“Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”
Political Standoff Over Contingency Funds
Idaho Democrats and advocacy groups have sharply criticized the Trump administration for failing to release an estimated $5 to $6 billion in available funds that could provide at least partial SNAP benefits during the shutdown.
“Idaho families are working hard to put food on the table, and our farmers are working hard to feed them,” Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea said in a written statement. “These programs make sense because they fight hunger and help producers move their goods. But the Trump regime doesn’t care. They are letting good food rot in warehouses while children, veterans, seniors, Idahoans with disabilities, and thousands of working families go hungry. Republicans are sitting on their hands instead of standing up for the families and farmers they’re supposed to represent. It’s cruel and pointless, and everyone in Idaho can see it,” Necochea said.
The Trump administration, however, maintains it cannot use the contingency funds for SNAP, with Speaker Mike Johnson claiming the money is not “legally available” for this purpose.
“The contingency funds are not legally available to cover the benefits right now,” Speaker Johnson told reporters Monday. “The reason is because it’s a finite source of funds. It was appropriated by Congress, and if they transfer funds from these other sources, it pulls it away immediately from school meals and infant formula…There has to be a preexisting appropriation for the contingency fund to be used, and Democrats blocked that appropriation when they rejected the clean continuing resolution.”
