Published March 11th, 2025. Updated March 12, 2025.

The USDA cut more than $1 billion in funding from schools and food banks that was used to buy food directly from local farms and ranches.

The cuts to the Local Food Purchase Assistance program and Local Food Purchase Assistance Coop Agreement Program were directed under Trump’s efforts to gut federal spending. USDA officials in the Trump administration said, “These programs, created under the former Administration via Executive authority, no longer effectuate the goals of the agency." Slashing the programs contradicts Trump and RFK’s Make America Healthy Again executive order. The MAHA order is supposed to mandate federal agencies to expand access to fresh food, strengthen local food systems, and enhance federal support for food is medicine preventive healthcare programs.

The local Food Purchase programs have successfully given small farms direct access to sell millions of pounds of produce to schools, healthcare programs, and food banks, and hoped to include childcare centers as well. This has greatly benefitted local food systems while providing healthy and fresh food to underserved communities. The USDA confirmed that farmers started to plant crops to fulfill 2025 LFPA contracts. The contracts have now been cut, leaving farmers out to dry. The loss of these programs will be significantly felt by rural agricultural towns as well as communities that were starting to address food insecurity and chronic disease epidemics with local, fresh food.

This was brought to my attention by my friend Erin Martin, who runs FreshRx Oklahoma, a produce prescription program. FreshRx works with local, regenerative farmers to supply fresh produce to Tulsa residents. Erin traveled to DC overnight to meet with the USDA. They communicated that the LFPA funds will not be reinstated. However, a federal act could be introduced to permanently allocate funds for schools and food banks to buy from local farms.

You can contact your US Representatives to push for legislation that would support schools and food banks buying from local farms. You can also contact your state representatives to encourage them to introduce initiatives on a state level.

Here is a full list of US House Representatives and their contact information. Here is a full list of US Senators and their contact information.

Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Member Contact Links.

Majority Members (R)

Boozman, John (AR), Chairman
McConnell, Mitch (KY)
Hoeven, John (ND)
Ernst, Joni (IA)
Hyde-Smith, Cindy (MS)
Marshall, Roger (KS)
Tuberville, Tommy (AL)
Justice, James C. (WV)
Grassley, Chuck (IA)
Thune, John (SD)
Fischer, Deb (NE)
Moran, Jerry (KS)

Minority Members (D)

Klobuchar, Amy (MN), Ranking Member
Bennet, Michael F. (CO)
Smith, Tina (MN)
Durbin, Richard J. (IL)
Booker, Cory A. (NJ)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Warnock, Raphael G. (GA)
Welch, Peter (VT)
Fetterman, John (PA)
Schiff, Adam B. (CA)
Slotkin, Elissa (MI)

House Committee on Agriculture Member Contact Links.

Majority Members (R)

Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania, Chair
Frank Lucas, Oklahoma
Austin Scott, Georgia, Vice Chair
Rick Crawford, Arkansas
Scott DesJarlais, Tennessee
Doug LaMalfa, California
David Rouzer, North Carolina
Trent Kelly, Mississippi
Don Bacon, Nebraska
Mike Bost, Illinois
Dusty Johnson, South Dakota
Jim Baird, Indiana
Tracey Mann, Kansas
Randy Feenstra, Iowa
Mary Miller, Illinois
Barry Moore, Alabama
Kat Cammack, Florida
Brad Finstad, Minnesota
John Rose, Tennessee
Ronny Jackson, Texas
Monica De La Cruz, Texas
Zach Nunn, Iowa
Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin
Dan Newhouse, Washington
Tony Wied, Wisconsin
Rob Bresnahan, Pennsylvania
Mark Messmer, Indiana
Mark Harris, North Carolina
David Taylor, Ohio

Minority Members (D)

Angie Craig, Minnesota, Ranking Member
David Scott, Georgia
Jim Costa, California
Jim McGovern, Massachusetts
Alma Adams, North Carolina
Jahana Hayes, Connecticut
Shontel Brown, Ohio, Vice Ranking Member
Sharice Davids, Kansas
Andrea Salinas, Oregon
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Washington
Don Davis, North Carolina
Jill Tokuda, Hawaii
Nikki Budzinski, Illinois
Eric Sorensen, Illinois
Gabe Vasquez, New Mexico
Jonathan Jackson, Illinois
Greg Casar, Texas
Shri Thanedar, Michigan
Adam Gray, California
Kristen McDonald Rivet, Michigan
Shomari Figures, Alabama
Eugene Vindman, Virginia
Josh Riley, New York
John Mannion, New York
April McClain Delaney, Maryland
Chellie Pingree, Maine
Salud Carbajal, California

Date: March 2025

Prepared for: Congressional Leaders & Key Senate Offices

Prepared by: Erin Martin, FreshRx Oklahoma

Issue Overview

The recent termination of the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) 2025 Cooperative Agreement and continued delays in awarding USDA Produce Prescription Grants undermine key provisions of President Trump’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Executive Order issued on February 2025. These actions directly contradict federal mandates aimed at strengthening local food systems, enhancing nutrition security, and addressing diet-related chronic diseases through evidence-based food-as-medicine strategies.

Key Violations of the MAHA Executive Order

The MAHA Executive Order mandates federal agencies to:

• Expand access to fresh, healthy foods for vulnerable populations to combat chronic diseases.
• Strengthen local and regional food systems to support economic resilience and public health.
• Enhance federal support for food-as-medicine programs as a recognized component of preventive healthcare.

1. LFPA Termination Contradicts MAHA’s Local Food System Strengthening Mandate

• LFPA has successfully increased market access for local farmers and directed millions of pounds of fresh, regionally produced food to underserved communities.
• The abrupt cancellation of LFPA 2025 funding disregards the MAHA directive to bolster federal-local partnerships for nutrition and economic security.
• Direct Impact: Farmers lose stable income streams, and communities relying on LFPA-supported food programs face increased nutrition insecurity and chronic disease.

2. Direct Impact on Farmers & Rural Agricultural Economies

• The LFPA program has provided critical revenue stability for small and mid-sized farmers, allowing them to invest in equipment, infrastructure, and workforce expansion.
• Many farmers have made long-term planting and operational decisions based on LFPA contracts, and the sudden termination leaves them with unsold produce, financial strain, and the risk of farm closures.
• Local food supply chains suffer, as farmers who once sold directly to food hubs, schools, and healthcare programs lose key markets, creating a ripple effect in rural economies.
• The termination of LFPA directly contradicts MAHA’s priority of strengthening American food producers and decreasing reliance on foreign agricultural imports.

3. Delays in USDA Produce Prescription Grants Violate MAHA’s Food is Medicine (FIM) Intentions

• USDA's Produce Prescription Program is a proven, cost-saving intervention that improves health outcomes, particularly for low-income individuals with diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.
• Allocated funds remain unawarded, halting the expansion of FIM programs that MAHA explicitly endorses.
• Direct Impact: Healthcare providers cannot prescribe produce to patients as planned, worsening chronic disease.

Economic & Public Health Consequences

• Cost to Taxpayers: LFPA and Produce Prescription programs have demonstrated significant healthcare cost savings by reducing emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and medication dependency for chronic diseases.
• Farm & Local Economy Losses: The sudden LFPA cut jeopardizes contracts for thousands of small and mid-sized farmers who supply schools, hospitals, and food assistance programs.
• Rural & Tribal Health Disparities: Indigenous and rural populations who benefit disproportionately from these programs face the greatest risk due to policy reversals.

Urgent Actions Needed

Congress & Senate Leaders Must:

1. Immediately reinstate LFPA 2025 funds to uphold federal commitments to local food security and American agriculture.
2. Direct USDA to accelerate the release of Produce Prescription Grant funds in alignment with the MAHA directive.
3. Conduct an oversight review of USDA program delays that contradict federal priorities and threaten rural economies.

Conclusion

The termination of LFPA and the delay in Produce Prescription funding represent a direct violation of President Trump’s Make America Healthy Again Executive Order and undermine critical efforts to combat chronic disease, support American farmers, and bolster nutrition security. Immediate action is necessary to uphold federal food policy commitments, support local economies, and protect public health.

For further information, please contact:

Erin Martin

Website: erinwmartin.com | freshrxok.org

Email: erin@freshrxok.org

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