The Trump administration has announced plans to end the government’s long-standing food insecurity survey, arguing that the research has become too politicised to remain effective.
In a statement, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that the Household Food Security Reports, which have tracked hunger trends for more than 30 years, will no longer be produced.
“The USDA, following a continuous review of programmes and economic reporting, will discontinue future Household Food Security Reports,” the agency said. Officials claimed the survey’s methodology is flawed, arguing that the questions used are “subjective” and create a distorted picture of the nation’s food security. The agency insisted the findings are biased, saying they fail to reflect what it described as “lower poverty rates, rising wages, and job growth under the Trump administration.”
The move follows recent overhauls to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), pushed through by Trump and congressional Republicans earlier this year. Independent experts warn the changes could leave millions of Americans without access to food aid.
The last report, released in 2023, showed that 13.5% of US households faced food insecurity, the highest level recorded in over a decade.
It is unclear whether the USDA’s criticism was aimed at data collected in 2025, which is not scheduled for publication until 2026.
The decision also underscores mounting tensions between the Trump administration and federal statisticians. Despite official data this year pointing to slowing economic growth and a weakening job market, Trump has repeatedly rejected those findings as unreliable. Earlier in the year, he dismissed the head of the Labor Department’s statistics bureau and nominated right-wing economist E.J. Antoni, a close ally, to take over the role.
