Oregon senators warn that reorganizations would “further weaken the ability of the agency to administer federal nutrition assistance programs.”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined Senate colleagues in raising strong concerns about the plan to reorganize the Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“We write with strong concern regarding the reorganization of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” the Oregon senators wrote. “After dramatic cuts to nutrition assistance programs and the significant staff losses at FNS in the past year, this reorganization will further weaken the ability of the agency to administer federal nutrition assistance programs.”
“FNS administers 16 federal nutrition assistance programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs,” the senators continued. “Unfortunately, this administration has engaged in repeated efforts to undermine these crucial programs: canceling over 90 million pounds of food ordered for food banks and schools; enacting the deepest cuts to SNAP in history; refusing to comply with court orders to fund SNAP benefits during the government shutdown; and terminating a long-standing food insecurity survey that has measured hunger in America since the 1990s.”
The letter was led by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. In addition to Wyden and Merkley, the letter was cosigned by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Andy Kim, D-N.J., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
The full letter is here.
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