Protect Public Health By Preserving Hunger Data

Mandate Immediate Tracking Before Hunger Data Disappears I urge you to introduce and pass legislation mandating the U.S. Department of Agriculture conduct the Annual Food Security Survey every year. The administration’s recent cancellation of the 2025 survey ends a nearly 30-year practice of tracking hunger in America. Without congressional action, our nation will lose its most reliable and comparable measure of food insecurity - at a time when rising prices, eligibility changes, and cuts to assistance make the need greater than ever. Recognize That This Survey Is Critical to Policy and Public Health The survey provides the official benchmark of how many U.S. households are food insecure, disaggregated by state, income, race, household type, and severity. It guides federal, state, and local funding for SNAP, child nutrition, and emergency food programs. Researchers and public health agencies depend on the data to link hunger with outcomes such as malnutrition, chronic disease, and mental health. Non-profits and community organizations use it to secure grants and target interventions. Confront the Dire Consequences of Canceling the Survey Cancellation will make hunger less visible. Policymakers, media, and the public will lose timely evidence of need. Programs will be harder to evaluate, disparities harder to identify, and local agencies weaker in making the case for resources. The absence of annual data risks politicization - allowing hunger to be ignored rather than measured. It also undermines accountability, leaving no standard against which to judge whether policies are reducing or worsening food insecurity. Take Urgent Legislative Action to Protect Hunger Data Congress should: 1. Make the annual survey a statutory requirement. 2. Appropriate funds each year to ensure its continuation. 3. Require consistent methodology so results remain comparable over time. 4. Guarantee public release of the report by a fixed date. 5. Establish oversight to protect transparency and data integrity. Act Without Delay to Keep Hunger Visible We cannot responsibly fund or reform nutrition programs without knowing who is hungry, where, and why. Eliminating this survey blinds us at the precise moment families need clarity and leadership. I respectfully ask you to support legislation that protects and requires this essential measure of hunger in America.

First sent on September 20, 2025 by Bill