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Food banks across the country are scrambling to replace meals after the Trump administration abruptly halted deliveries that were scheduled in the coming weeks. Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries and local meal programs, was recently informed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is canceling $500 million in federal funding as the administration reviews spending decisions made under the Biden administration. “Food banks have never seen the kind of demand that they're seeing now, and so any disruption to the supply chain of food coming into those food banks really jeopardizes their ability to serve their communities,�� said Vince Hall, Feeding America’s chief government relations officer. The canceled funding represents one portion of the Emergency Food Assistance Program. USDA declined our interview request, but a spokesperson for the agency wrote in a statement, “The Biden administration created unsustainable programming and expectations using the Commodity Credit Corporation. Regardless, USDA continues to purchase food for , with over $166 million spent in FY 2025 to date for program requirements.”The spokesperson said the USDA remains focused on strengthening food security and maintaining other funding streams, including an additional $261 million in Section 32 purchases that were recently approved. But Hall said that initial investment won’t fully bridge the gap left by the cancellation of CCC funds for food purchases. “It is our hope that USDA will do everything within their power to make additional purchases through the other funding source,�� Hall said. In the meantime, Hall expects “nearly every food bank�� in the Feeding America network will see some impact, though the specifics may vary based on the resiliency of the local food system. He said rural areas are especially vulnerable because those communities have fewer sources to turn to, and USDA commodities often make up half or more of their overall distribution. Urban areas, like Washington, D.C., are also taking a hit. "I doubt we'd be able to bridge that whole gap through other sources,�� said Capital Area Food Bank CEO Radha Muthiah. "This was food we were planning on distributing as early as the next week or two."Muthiah said roughly half of the 55 truckloads that were scheduled to arrive between now and the end of June have been canceled as a result of these spending cuts, impacting roughly 670,000 meals. "Likely they'll be less variety of food in the short term and probably less quantities,�� Muthiah said. Earlier this month, the USDA announced the end of two pandemic-era programs that provided more than $1 billion for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farmers and producers.“The COVID era is over �� USDA’s approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward,�� an agency spokesperson said in a statement.