With Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, the stakes for the nation’s future remain high. International as well as domestic affairs grow increasingly more volatile, the growth of both the U.S. economy and the job market have slowed, and the effects of a warming climate are becoming more and more apparent with each season.
All of these issues pose unique challenges to the American food landscape. With a mandate for fiscal conservatism, the previous Trump administration proved itself willing to cut essential federal programs that fund food access initiatives and support for farmers.
With his return to the Oval Office in January, here are the issues to keep an eye on:
1. 2018 Farm Bill Expiration
With the 2018 Farm Bill’s expiration this past month, several federal programs, including key environmental and conservation provisions and animal welfare programs, have been eliminated along with the Specialty Block Crop Grants to farmers that help keep prices of fruits and vegetables low for consumers.
With the rest of the 2018 provision set to end with the calendar year, consumers can expect to see rising prices for these staple foods along with the loss of a federal safety net for farms experiencing crop loss. The 2018 law also provided funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); which provides 2.9 million New Yorkers with additional money for food, as well as funding for local food relief organizations.
The expiration of the 2018 law was largely precipitated by an insistence from the Republican-led House of Representatives on $30 billion in cuts to SNAP. With the previous Trump administration’s attempt to rescind SNAP benefits for millions of Americans, Democratic leadership in Congress now has the tall task of protecting funding for these programs while also helping to pass a new Farm Bill.
2. Agricultural Worker Safety & Immigration Protections
Food and agricultural laborers are the backbone of America, with farm workers not only providing sustenance for the whole country but also holding up the $1.264 trillion agricultural industry. It is no small shame that these jobs remain dangerous for the workers we rely on, and with an estimated 40 percent of the U.S. agricultural workforce undocumented, access to existing labor safety protections is too often limited for these workers, many of whom fear retaliation for speaking up and seeking legal support despite the strides made by the H2-A visa program, which provides legal routes to employment for immigrant workers.
Agricultural work regularly ranks among the most dangerous jobs in the United States, and with Florida blocking health and safety laws for workers and no other state making the proper legislative efforts, the issue becomes a federal concern.
The previous Trump administration made worksite immigration raids a priority, and with Trump’s stated commitment to yet more deportations of undocumented workers, access to proper workplace safety for farm workers will continue to suffer, even where codified under law.
3. Climate Change
Climate change is here, and the whole world — New York included — is feeling its effects. With catastrophic floods, wildfires in both Canada and New Jersey, and now a drought watch in effect, the situation is too dire and immediate to be ignored.
The effect of these ongoing climate-related disasters on our food systems cannot be overstated. Flooding in New York has left some farms on the brink of disaster, while unpredictable frosts and severe heat waves have posed threats to livestock, produce, workers, and food chains alike.
Trump already has stated his opposition to what few measures are underway to mitigate the effects of an already volatile climate, and the much-publicized Project 2025 calls for a fundamental roll-back and restructuring of federal food and climate policy, which, if enacted, would reverse any progress our government has made on protecting the climate and ecology.
While Trump has distanced himself from the controversial plan, with key members of the previous Trump Administration being involved in the document’s drafting and publication, there is an expectation that this administration will adhere to the Project 2025 playbook for food, agriculture, and climate policy in the coming term.
With this understanding, it is paramount for our leaders to take executive action on a state and municipal level, and for state legislatures and local legislatures to codify the work of federal agencies such as the USDA, the EPA, and the Department of the Interior into law where possible — not just on the issue of climate change, but for the safety and security of America’s sustenance and nutrition.
