Chairman Harris Responds to USDA Report Showing Increase in Household Hunger Due To The Costly Food Inflation of the Biden Administration

Washington, D.C. –Congressman Andy Harris M.D. (MD-01), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies released the following statement in response to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service's (ERS) report showing food insecurity increased significantly in the 2021-2022 period.

Key Stats In The Report Show:

• 17 million households were food insecure at some point during 2021-2022, including 6.8 million households that reported very low food security.
• From 2021 to 2022 there were significant increases in food insecurity and very low food security for nearly all subgroups of households described in this report.
• In 2022, the typical food-secure household spent 15 percent more on food than the typical food-insecure household of the same size and household composition.

This latest report shows the food insecurity rate is right back to where it was during the Obama-Biden Administration after trending down during the Trump Administration.

In his response to this report, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack called for more government funding while refusing to acknowledge the costly affects food inflation is having on American families.

Statement From Congressman Harris:

“This latest report shows the food insecurity rate is right back to where it was during the Obama-Biden Administration after trending down during the Trump Administration. Despite this fact, there seems to be zero acknowledgement from the USDA or the Biden-Harris Administration about how the ongoing food inflation of “Bidenomics” is eroding all households’ purchasing power at the grocery store. Rather than control spending and help rein in inflation, the Biden Administration is continuing to suggest that the solution is to just throw more money into government programs. If the Biden Administration and USDA were truly serious about making sure “no child goes hungry in America” they would control the reckless government spending that is driving food inflation and costing Americans more money at the grocery store.”