Gov. Gavin Newsom sent an urgent appeal to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Saturday, begging the department to revoke the sudden cancellation of its Biden-era plan that feeds millions of California families and has been the lifeline of hundreds of small farmers since its inception Establishment in 2021.
“Irrational and malicious cuts in funds will hurt not only our farmers, but our farmers,” Newsom said in a press release announcing the appeal.
The California Department of Social Services’ letter of appeal was called “illegal” and said it should be revoked.
The USDA’s plan begins in 2022 to provide grants to state and tribal governments to diversify and diversify food supply chains in the wake of the pandemic.
California has received $88.5 million in planned cash since the spring deal, It investigated Buy food from the local area through food banking and other aid programs [and] The peasants who are not good for society. “The state plans to receive an additional $47 million this year.
Instead, the USDA announced in March that it was canceling the plan. The agency did not immediately answer questions about the decision.
The cash that has been allocated and intended to be paid in 2026 has been temporarily frozen, leaving farmers uncertain about seeds planted in the middle of the planting season, said Becky Silva, director of government relations at the California Association. Food Bank.
Silva said the funds had been restored, but no new money came.
This move has involved many farmers.
“Farmers have been calling me,” wrote Ken Vang of Fresno Bipoc Produce. “Farmers just planted several crops for the program because the program means guaranteeing income for them. Now, they are worried that their crops won’t have a home.”
Others fear that their farms would be in trouble without government plans.
“It is not only the lack of income devastating income, it brings great uncertainty to our families,” wrote Mariela Buenrostro of Raul & Family Farms in Riverside.
As the USDA plans to provide local farmers with funds specifically for growing crops for food banks, its elimination will also cut back on what the Safety Net program can offer as more Californians face food insecurity and hunger.
“It’s a huge loss,” said Becky Silva, director of government relations at the California Association. Food Bank received more than $22 million from the state’s allocation last year. “It’s a very difficult time for food banks.”
more than One quarter California families with children struggled to put food on the table in September, the last month that could provide data. From the beginning, this number is 30%.
“If you ask food banks in California, they’ll share some of the highest demands they’ve seen,” Silva said. “Kern County’s Community Action Partnership has increased 150% in its food distribution center production lines.”
Sacramento, meanwhile, the USDA cuts are shrinking the Cal Foods program, which provides food banks and will drop to $8 million from $60 million in June.
Amid widespread food inflation, state and federal belts tightened strike aid programs. February, the last month Federal data Available, Los Angeles’ grocery prices are 2.5% higher than the same period last year. In March, the US Department of Agriculture predicted that by the end of 2025, U.S. prices will soar 2.7% across the United States.
These forecasts do not indicate the new tariffs that began to take effect last week. Economists expect They will raise the price of food.
“The USDA failed to provide a reasonable explanation for the unilateral termination … to show that its actions were arbitrary, capricious, and abused discretion,” Deputy Director Alexis Fernandez Garcia wrote in the California Department of Social Services appeal letter. “[It] Must be reversed. ”
