Shapiro Sues USDA Over Termination of Farm-to-Food Bank Program

The lawsuit challenges a $13 million cut the state claims would have supported 189 Pennsylvania farms and 14 food banks over three years.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) filed a lawsuit on May 4 against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, accusing the agency of unlawfully terminating a $13 million federal program that helped local farms provide food to food banks across the state.

The program, known as the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program, was intended to fund Pennsylvania’s local food system through 2027. It supported 189 farms and supplied fresh food to 14 food banks, including the Share Food Program in Philadelphia, where Shapiro announced the legal action Wednesday.