Amidst concerns over reductions in food stamp benefits and increasing strain on charitable food initiatives, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has initiated a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The legal action follows the abrupt cancellation of a $13 million contract that was crucial for food banks purchasing local produce.
In March, the USDA terminated Pennsylvania’s three-year agreement under the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) program, which had been instrumental in subsidizing food banks to buy produce from local farmers.
Governor Shapiro, accompanied by Secretary Brooke Rollins, announced the lawsuit during a press event at the Share Food Program in Philadelphia, citing a failed appeal and unproductive discussions with USDA officials. “Pennsylvania farmers do the noble work of putting food on our tables – and for the last three years, they’ve been paid to provide fresh, local food to food banks across our Commonwealth as part of a successful federal initiative,” stated Shapiro. “When the USDA abruptly terminated our agreement without cause, they ripped away a reliable source of income for 189 Pennsylvania farms — and cut off funding that would have helped provide over 4.4 million meals to families across the Commonwealth. That’s not just bad policy — it’s a broken promise. A deal is a deal, and I’ve taken legal action today to ensure the federal government honors its commitment to Pennsylvania.”
The 39-page lawsuit was filed on June 4 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. It argues that the USDA’s decision to terminate the state’s 2025 LFPA contract was “arbitrary and capricious,” violating federal regulations.
The USDA, in response via email, stated, “We do not comment on pending litigation. For further information, please contact the U.S. Department of Justice.”
House Republicans Vote to Slash SNAP Funding
The Shapiro Administration is raising alarms over potential reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. SNAP is an essential resource for low-income individuals, particularly benefiting older adults and families with children.
Last month, the U.S. House passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which includes a proposal to reduce SNAP funding by approximately $300 billion. This figure is based on Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates.
The proposed cuts include $92 billion in changes to work requirements for adults aged 18 to 65 without young children, requiring them to work at least 80 hours monthly. An additional $128 billion would shift more costs to state governments, the CBO reported.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), one in six residents of Pennsylvania depend on SNAP for monthly food needs.
Data from the department indicates that, following the implementation of work requirements in 2016, 55% of those who lost benefits had at least one chronic illness, and 25% had nutrition-sensitive conditions such as diabetes.
The Shapiro Administration estimates that the enhanced work reporting requirements could result in 140,000 Pennsylvanians losing SNAP benefits.
Rising Food Insecurity in Pennsylvania
Food insecurity in Pennsylvania has surged by 48% since 2020, as per Feeding America. This increase is more than double the national average, which saw a 21% rise during the same period.
The data stems from Map the Meal Gap, a report that tracks food insecurity across the United States. The latest findings were published last month, using data from 2019 to 2023.
Approximately 1.7 million residents in Pennsylvania, including children, are food insecure. According to Ryan Prater, Director of Public Policy for Feeding Pennsylvania, reductions in programs like SNAP threaten the entire food assistance framework.
“Cutting SNAP does nothing to address hunger. It’ll just force more people to turn to food banks when they can’t make ends meet,” Prater commented.
Food Banks Face Potential Crisis
During a recent press conference at the Westmoreland County Food Bank, DHS Secretary Val Arkoosh and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding emphasized that the proposed SNAP reductions could cost the state $1 billion annually.
Arkoosh warned, “Should these proposals to change SNAP become law, vulnerable children, people with disabilities, older Pennsylvanians, and many others would see their access to food at risk and will further destabilize our agricultural economy and workforce during a tumultuous time.”
Prater further highlighted that SNAP provides nine meals for every single meal offered by charitable food systems. He stressed, “When you’re cutting SNAP benefits, you’re making it harder for our neighbors, children, [and] seniors, who can’t make ends meet at the end of the month.”
Jennifer Warabak, executive director of the Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank, voiced concerns about the growing demand for food bank assistance over the past year. “We’re just in a position where we don’t know that we’d be able to fully replace what that need is … To make up that difference, it puts a strain on the whole charitable food system itself,” she said.
Warabak also noted that SNAP cuts would severely impact the financial stability of food banks, stating, “Food banks across Pennsylvania, across the United States, have been experiencing a significant uptick in families that are seeking services, all while dealing with cuts … to services that the food bank provides … The situation will only be exacerbated [by SNAP cuts] … There’s already not enough food available.”
Philadelphia and Fayette counties report the highest food insecurity rates in Pennsylvania. Luzerne County ranks third, with 15.5% of its residents facing food insecurity, closely followed by Lackawanna at 15.1%, as per Feeding America data.
Broad Cuts to Food Assistance Programs
SNAP isn’t the only food aid initiative facing reductions. Recently, the state Department of Agriculture announced funding cuts to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition programs.
Isabela Weiss | WVIA News | Report for America
These programs assist seniors, women, and children in purchasing fresh produce from local markets. However, each WIC agency will receive roughly half of its requested vouchers, and each Area Agency on Aging will receive only about three-quarters, as reported by the state Departments of Aging, Agriculture, and Health.
Pennsylvania received less than half of the funds allocated by Congress for the 2025 fiscal year, according to these agencies. “The federal government has given no explanation or reason for the delay in funding,” the agencies stated. “Cancellations and delays of this and other federal funding streams, along with drastically reduced staffing at the federal agencies who manage funding contracts have left the question of whether funds will eventually be received up in the air.”
The disruption could also financially impact farmers, as the state reimburses them when vouchers are used at market stands. Lenny Burger, from Burger’s Farm Market in Luzerne County, remarked in an April interview that the program “cuts out the middleman” and directly benefits farmers financially.
Warabak expressed concern that children will be most affected, especially during summer when schools are closed. “It’s just compounding the situation … Kids don’t have any control over things like that. They just know when they’re hungry. And they just know that when they go home, there might not be food there,” she said. “And now, with schools closing for the summer, you’re also removing the … breakfast program, the lunch program … Where are those children going to get protein from, and milk from and fresh produce from?”
She added that families struggling with food costs are likely to face challenges affording childcare and healthcare as well.
Widespread Impact of Food Assistance Cuts
Prater emphasized the broad impact of reductions in SNAP, Local Food Purchasing Assistance, and farmers market programs, noting that they will affect communities nationwide. “These might be the people you see in the grocery store, but they just need that little bit of help at the end of the month, or they just need that little bit of assistance to be able to make sure that they keep their pantry at home stocked,” he stated.
He described hunger as a “silent epidemic,” adding, “I think people always think [hunger looks like] what you see on TV in Africa – swollen bellies – [but] that’s not what hunger is in America. It’s parents skipping meals so their children can eat. It’s parents waiting for their kids to go to bed so they can eat whatever is left over at the end of the day. It’s … the effects of malnutrition in rural, suburban and urban communities. So, that’s what food insecurity is in America. And so, I think recognizing that is going to be the first step to kind of acknowledging and making those steps to [do] what we can [to fix it].”
