We knew there would be pain when President Donald Trump said he was going to right-size federal programs in an attempt to bring the federal budget under control.

The only way to get control of federal spending is through spending cuts. Of course, now we’re finding out just how dependent on federal programs we really are – and some of these cuts come with real pain for people who are struggling to get by. Among them are the people throughout Chautauqua County who would have been helped by FeedMore WNY, which offers assistance to food pantries through its food bank distribution center and other programs helping hungry people in need. FeedMore has lost a key federal funding source used to purchase high-value food items that will hurt FeedMore WNY’s ability to help food pantries throughout the region after the termination of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Emergency Food Assistance Program, or TEFAP. The USDA has confirmed that $500 million in TEFAP food purchases to be funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation has been permanently canceled. In 2024, more than $4 million worth of food came to FeedMore WNY through the Commodity Credit Corporation program, enabling the purchase of things such as proteins, produce and dairy items, which were then distributed among the organization’s partner food pantries, soup kitchens and other hunger-relief agencies serving food-insecure community members.

FeedMore WNY learned that 12 pending orders for delivery between May and August 2025 have been canceled. Those 12 orders consisted of truckloads of food including chicken, turkey, pork, cheese, and eggs. Based on the amount of Commodity Credit Corporation funding received last year and what has already been received to start the year, FeedMore WNY estimates the total impact for this year will be a loss of more than $3.5 million worth of food due to the program cancellation. The federal funding cut comes at a time when FeedMore WNY and its partner agencies across Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties are experiencing increased demand for services. Last year, FeedMore WNY assisted 165,722 individuals – including approximately 53,400 children and 41,200 older adults – across its four-county service area. This was a 46 percent increase compared to people served in 2021.

At the very least, restructuring federal programs should take place when funding commitments have ended. In this case, that would mean ending the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program for Pennsylvania when already announced federal funding ends in 2028. That gives time for state officials, farmers and food bank officials to come up with a new plan – whether that’s to fill the gap with state funding or create a new way to provide fresh food to food banks.

We need to bring federal programs under control, but there is a right way and a wrong way to accomplish that goal. Cancelling programs after funding has already been promised is the wrong way to go about it, particularly when we’re talking about food bank funding that takes food from the plates of those whose plates aren’t overflowing in the first place.