Trump administration drops funding for Pa. farmers who help  food banks. Shapiro moves to reverse it

At the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank in Harrisburg, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced his administration is pushing back against a move by the United States Department of Agriculture to cancel $13 million in funding for Pennsylvania farmers who provide products for food banks.

“As a result of what I consider to be this unlawful action, 189 Pennsylvania farms will lose a critical source of revenue, and 14 food banks across Pennsylvania will lose access to locally produced, fresh food,” Shapiro said. “Here at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, that means 500,000 fewer meals they can deliver to hungry Pennsylvanians every month.”

The funding came from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, which was established  in 2021. It was intended to help both farmers struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as food banks that may not have a budget for fresh food. Since the program  began, Pennsylvania has received over $28 million, according to Pa. Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, most of which has been distributed. 

Redding said in December, the USDA signed a contract to give the commonwealth an additional $13 million over the next three years, but it was cancelled this month. 

The move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to slash spending across the federal government. But Shapiro said he believes the move to renege on the contract is illegal.

Redding said  he sent a letter to the USDA to  appeal the cancellation on Tuesday, and included a list of farms potentially impacted by the cuts, as well as the counties they’re in,  to underscore the impact on the agricultural community. 

Shapiro says, if the appeal fails, he will consider further legal action. 

“Pennsylvania farmers and food banks are owed $13 million and I won’t stand by and let our farmers get screwed in the process,” Shapiro said. “We are prepared to take further legal action to protect our farmers and ensure those who are hungry get fed.”

Shapiro was joined at the food bank press conference by Amy Brickner, a third-generation dairy farmer in Carlisle, Cumberland County, who provides produce for the program. Brickner said her LFPA funding was frozen in January when President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on federal spending pending the review of programs. 

“Milk is still the most requested item at food banks,” Brickner said. “I kept donating because I knew the impact. This winter was lean and I lost costs that I couldn’t afford to lose,  but I’m proud of the products that I produce with my  grandmother, my mother, and my two sons by my side.”

She was ultimately reimbursed for the costs of her donations during the funding freeze  in the first months of 2025, but now the money is being cancelled altogether. 

“I want to be able to continue the impact that I’ve already had,” Brickner said. “And that is from these grant programs  for dairy farmers to help me cover the expenses and give back to my community.”

Rep. Justin Fleming (D-Dauphin) was also at the food pantry, which is in his district. He said when he was a kid, his family relied on food stamps and government assistance while they worked their way to the middle class.

“I was one of those kids who didn’t have enough to eat going to bed,” Fleming said. “What I’m most concerned about with actions like this that the federal government is taking, they are literally taking food out of the mouths of kids.”

Shapiro said  the program is also designed to help farmers, and he’s spoken to some who say LFPA funds make up 10-15% of their budget. And it’s unclear how that can be made up if the program is terminated permanently.

“The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank may figure out a way to fundraise more or figure out a grant from somewhere else … but I don’t know how farmers will make up this market share,” Shapiro said.  “The state can not make up those cuts. People are going to suffer as a result of these policy decisions they’re making in Washington.”

Shapiro has already sued the Trump administration over other reductions in federal spending that have impacted the state. Though that lawsuit is ongoing, Shapiro said he was able to get the administration to reverse course and unfreeze  grants totalling $2 billion that his office identified in February.