As GOP looks to cut food stamps, Trump has already slashed $11 million in food aid for Texans

As Republicans consider slashing food benefits to help pay for President Donald Trump’s proposed tax cuts — a move that would affect 3.2 million Texans — a recent White House cut that’s received less media attention has already yanked $11 million in food aid from hungry Lone Star State residents.

Earlier this spring, the Trump administration’s Agriculture Department axed the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), which provides bounty from local farms and ranches to food banks and other hunger-fighting organizations. The cut cost Texas $11 million in funding, USDA records show.  

The San Antonio Food Bank was expected to receive about $3.1 million of that total, according to Michael Guerra, the nonprofit’s chief philanthropy officer. On top of the lost funding, the USDA’s move deprived the Food Bank of 31 tractor trailer-loads of food from area farmers.

“It was a pretty tough haircut, and we’ve weathered it OK, but it comes as we’re getting ready for our busiest period,” said Guerra.

Food insecurity jumps in the summer when kids are home from school and can’t access free or reduced-cost lunches on campus, he added.

Guerra also worries the budget cuts now under consideration by the Republican-controlled Congress would be a second blow for needy Texas families, especially if they shift funds away from the Supplemental Nutrition Access Program (SNAP), also known as Food Stamps.

“If there are significant cuts to SNAP, there could be a pandemic-like effect for us in terms of need,” Guerra said. “For it to come right before our highest time of need makes it tough.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Antonio Food Bank made national news when it’s distributions drew tens of thousands of food-insecure local families.

“Donald Trump and Elon Musk have already ripped food away from vulnerable Texans — including children and the elderly. Now, Trump and Republicans are pushing a budget that would cut food and nutrition programs by billions of dollars just to gift more tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in an emailed statement.

Martin further attacked the Republicans for considering cuts to food assistance as the Trump White House’s tariffs raise grocery prices and contribute to a slowing economy.

“As Texans brace for a Trump-made recession, Republicans are taking a sledge hammer to the programs that keep working families afloat during tough economic times,” he added. 

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This article appears in Apr 30 – May 13, 2025.