Maine Senator Angus King joined 30 of his Senate colleagues to demand that the U.S. Department of Agriculture reverse the cancellation of two programs that supported local farms, food banks, and children.
The programs provided $1.3 million to state, tribal, and territorial governments to purchase locally grown food and distribute it to food banks, schools, and child care centers.
Anna Korsen, Policy and Program Director at Full Plates Full Potential, said any cuts to federal funding with shift the burden to state and local sources which are already overextended.
"These programs cost a lot of money, and if the federal government cuts funding to these programs, the costs will shift to the state. And we just can't afford these cuts, we can't shoulder these cuts," Korsen said.
George Fox, a spokesperson for the Good Shepard Food Bank, said he hopes the state will help offset the loss in federal funding by increasing its contribution.
Korsen said these cuts along with further expected cuts to federal funding are putting Maine's free school lunch program in jeopardy.
"This is certainly the first time that our 'school meals for all' policy has felt under threat and that is really scary," Korsen said.
In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, the senators said the expected $1 billion in cancelled purchases by the USDA will cause further pain at a time of high food prices and harm farmers facing unstable agricultural markets.
