In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Pennsylvania claimed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under President Donald Trump, had unlawfully stopped providing it with funding through a program that was intended to give states over $1 billion in aid to buy food from farms for food banks, schools, and childcare facilities.
Three months after USDA informed states that it was discontinuing the pandemic-era assistance program because it no longer reflected agency goals, Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro announced the case in federal court.
At a press conference held at a food bank warehouse in Philadelphia, Shapiro remarked, “I don’t get what the hell their priorities are if not feeding people and taking care of our farmers.”
The case, which was submitted to the Harrisburg federal court, requests that the court overturn USDA’s decision to terminate the compensation program.
In the lawsuit, Shapiro’s administration claimed that the USDA’s termination of the contract was unlawful because it failed to provide an explanation for why it no longer reflected agency priorities and because the contract didn’t specifically let the USDA to do so.
Shapiro expressed his belief that Pennsylvania would prevail in the legal battle.
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“A deal is a deal,” Shapiro stated. “They made a deal with our farmers, they made a deal with Pennsylvania and they broke it.”
Under a three-year contract, Pennsylvania will lose $13 million, which the state intended to spend to purchase food from farms to supply food banks.
Additionally, states utilize the funds to purchase food from farms for child care facilities and school nutrition programs. Commodities including cheese, eggs, meat, fruits, and vegetables are among the items purchased.
A second wave of funding through the program was announced by the department last year under then-President Joe Biden.
