Despite a federal court order to the contrary, the Trump administration continues to withhold federal money from public programs already promised funds by Congress. While this maneuver has yet to directly affect federal food access programs like SNAP and WIC, the potentially illegal freezing of federal funds is already throwing other essential food programs into turmoil.
Here are just a few.
USDA Grants to Small Farmers and Agricultural Research
With America’s farmers already shaken by the past year’s Farm Bill fight, the president’s federal funding freeze is now withholding money that the USDA had already promised to farmers participating in regenerative agriculture and renewable energy ventures.
This means that farms that have already invested in planting crops in accordance with these grant programs or have installed renewable energy sources like solar panels are now without their promised payment from the government.
With Republicans already indicating cuts to agricultural spending in the next Farm Bill, these frozen funds and unpaid bills have left local farms in an even greater state of uncertainty.
USAID and Domestically Purchased International Aid
Beyond the domestic troubles of a federal funding freeze, farmers are also suffering from the president’s orders to dismantle USAID.
While the program’s reach is global, the food it distributes is domestically sourced from America’s farmers. Last year, USAID paid $2 billion to farmers for international food aid. Beyond the disruption to the communities overseas that rely on this aid, the freeze has left millions of dollars worth of food to spoil, with farmers footing the bill for crops they can now no longer sell.
Climate, Conservation and Infrastructure Spending
Food production relies on a complex ecology and environment that is increasingly threatened not only by climate change but also by pollution and contamination writ large. The Trump administration’s pause on federal funding for all climate-related programs could not have come at a worse time.
Beyond the larger scope of our climate troubles, the freeze on federal funding for nearly all climate-related issues has jeopardized hundreds of thousands of jobs and halted vital infrastructure and repair projects for farmers across the country, meaning that those who have suffered from climate-related disasters must now wait to receive financial relief and make repairs.
What’s Next?
Federal courts have already made it clear that the Trump administration cannot continue to withhold these federal funds, with one judge indicating a willingness to hold the president in contempt of court if he does not comply with these orders.
While it remains to be determined whether these court orders have any teeth, the programs that rely on the associated funds must sit in limbo. If the Department of Justice is not willing to enforce the court’s orders, Trump’s executive actions may effectively end funding for these programs.
