In a significant move, Governor Josh Shapiro announced on Wednesday that he is suing the federal government over the cancellation of funding intended for local food banks to purchase produce from Pennsylvania farmers.
During his visit to the Share Food Program warehouse in North Philadelphia, Shapiro also expressed criticism of the Trump administration, labeling its approach to various issues, such as sanctuary cities and tariffs, as incompetent.
Shapiro stated, “These guys don’t know how to govern,” when addressing the recent posting and subsequent removal of inaccurate sanctuary city lists by the Department of Homeland Security.
“Over the last four months, what has defined the federal government? Absolute total chaos at every level, rising prices, screwing over farmers, shutting down markets for Pennsylvania businesses, tariffs that are leading to higher consumer costs, and making it much, much more difficult here at home,” he added.
The governor contrasted the federal government’s struggles with governance to Pennsylvania’s political landscape, where a divided legislature still works towards calm and effective problem-solving.
“Do we get everything done at once? No, but we work together, we compromise,” Shapiro said, highlighting the collaborative spirit in the state amid national turmoil.
The lawsuit targets the federal Local Food Purchasing Assistance program (LFPA), which has been financially supporting initiatives like the Share Food Program to buy and distribute agricultural products from local farmers since 2022.
Shapiro explained that Pennsylvania had signed a new three-year, $13 million LFPA contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in December, but received notice in March that the agreement was being canceled.
This funding cancellation threatens to disrupt support for 189 farms and 14 food banks across the state, directly impacting the ability to serve over 500,000 people each month in the Philadelphia region.
George Matysik, the executive director of Share Food, articulated the gravity of the situation, stating, “We had a deal with the federal government, President Trump… you broke your word.”
During the press conference, Shapiro emphasized that the federal government had violated a legal contract, recalling past successes in litigating against the Trump administration over similar issues involving state funding freezes.
“I got a pretty good track record when I take Donald Trump to court. We’re going to win this, and we’re going to get our money back for the good people of Pennsylvania,” Shapiro asserted confidently.
A spokesperson for the USDA declined to comment on the ongoing litigation, directing inquiries to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The decision to initiate legal action followed Shapiro’s attempts to utilize the official USDA appeal process, along with outreach efforts to USDA officials that yielded no results.
State Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding made a trip to Washington to meet with USDA staff, but his efforts to reverse the contract cancellation were unsuccessful.
Shapiro pointed out a misinformation issue regarding existing federal funds for farmers, countering claims from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins that Pennsylvania had unused federal dollars.
“That’s not true,” he confirmed, explaining that the state must pay farmers upfront and recoup the costs later through LFPA reimbursements.
Attempts to seek support from Republican members of Congress whose districts are affected by the funding cuts were met with criticism instead of assistance, according to Shapiro.
“It’s easy for me to brush off their nonsense. I deal with that every day. But it’s not easy for hungry people to be fed when their congressman ignores them,” he remarked.
Moreover, Shapiro’s administration asserts that Pennsylvania is among the few states that exclusively directs LFPA funding to in-state farmers, aimed at bolstering the local agricultural economy.
In his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, Shapiro seeks to further assist agriculture through increased funding for the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System and the State Food Purchase Program (SFPP), with an additional $4 million allocated to each program.
However, Shapiro was quick to clarify that local resources cannot compensate for the loss of federal funding.
“Whether it’s LFPA, or SNAP, or Medicaid or any of the other things the federal government is cutting right now to make it harder for poor folks to get healthcare or get fed, we do not have the ability to backfill that in the state,” he explained.
The lawsuit against the federal government coincides with broader initiatives aiming to slash billions from various social service programs, including critical nutrition programs.
Reports indicate that the USDA informed Share Food Program of an impending loss of an additional $6.5 million in supplies through the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
Additionally, the U.S. House recently passed a reconciliation bill projected to cut almost $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next decade, which translates to more than $1 billion in annual losses for Pennsylvania alone.
With nearly 2 million residents benefiting from SNAP, half of whom are children and seniors, the proposed cuts could have dire consequences.
U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon raised alarms over the potential impacts on public school students, emphasizing that Philadelphia currently provides free meals to all students under existing federal regulations.
“When we take food away from kids, we don’t just harm their health. We hurt their ability to learn, to thrive, and to succeed in the future,” she stated at an event at Penrose Elementary School in Southwest Philadelphia.
The proposed Republican measures also include increased regulatory requirements for work eligibility for SNAP recipients and cutting food assistance for 50,000 immigrant children who hold lawful immigration status, according to Scanlon.
Ultimately, the future of food assistance in Pennsylvania remains uncertain as Governor Shapiro’s legal battle against the federal government’s funding cancellations unfolds alongside significant cuts proposed at the national level.
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