– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

PARAMOUNT+. AND RETURNING CBS

FALL.

>> AN IMPORTANT CHANGE IS COMING

FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.

THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IS

ENDING A DECADES LONG EFFORT TO

TRACK FOOD INSECURITY ACROSS THE

COUNTRY. THE HOUSEHOLD FOOD

SECURITY REPORT IS WHAT IT'S

CALLED, AND IT PROVIDES YEARLY

DATA ON THE LACK OF ACCESS TO

ADEQUATE NUTRITION FOR LOW

INCOME AMERICANS. IT'S BEEN

USED BY FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL

OFFICIALS TO HELP SET POLICY ON

FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. THE

LATEST REPORT FOUND 18 MILLION

HOUSEHOLDS WERE FOOD INSECURE

BACK IN 2023, AND THAT IS UP

FROM 17 MILLION BACK IN 2022. A

FINAL REPORT FOR 2024 WILL BE

RELEASED NEXT MONTH. AND AS FOR

WHY THESE HOUSEHOLD FOOD

SECURITY REPORTS ARE ENDING, THE

USDA RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING

IN PART, THESE REDUNDANT,

COSTLY, POLITICIZED AND

EXTRANEOUS STUDIES DO NOTHING

MORE THAN FEAR MONGER. JOINING

US NOW TO TALK ABOUT THIS IS

CRAIG GUNDERSEN. HE'S A

PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT BAYLOR

UNIVERSITY, ALSO A FORMER USDA

ECONOMIST. THANK YOU VERY MUCH

FOR JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT ALL

THIS AND BREAK THIS DOWN. SO

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT COMES AT A

TIME WHEN THE TRUMP

ADMINISTRATION IS CRACKING DOWN

ON OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS

OVER DATA IT CONSIDERS TO BE

POLITICALLY MOTIVATED. IN YOUR

OPINION, WERE THESE REPORTS

CONSIDERED TO BE PARTIZAN IN ANY

WAY?

>> ABSOLUTELY NOT. THANK YOU SO

MUCH FOR FOR HAVING ME ON HERE

AND ASKING ME THIS QUESTION. NO,

THESE WERE NONPARTISAN IS

THEY'VE BEEN WIDELY USED TO

EXAMINE QUESTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN

POSED BY REGARDING THE EFFICACY

OF RIGHT LEANING POLICIES AND

LEFT LEANING POLICIES, AND BY NO

MEANS WAS IT EVER A PARTISAN

TOOL. IN FACT, IT'S BECOME THE

LEADING INDICATOR OF WELL-BEING

FOR VULNERABLE AMERICANS, AN

INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO OUR

BIPARTISAN EFFORTS TO ALLEVIATE

FOOD INSECURITY IN THE UNITED

STATES.

>> SO, CRAIG, AS WE MENTIONED,

THESE REPORTS HELP STATE AND

FEDERAL OFFICIALS DECIDE ON

POLICY TO TO FIGHT FOOD

INSECURITY. AND THEY ALSO

MEASURE, OF COURSE, HOW THESE

FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS ARE

WORKING. WHAT WILL BE THE

GUIDANCE ON THAT AND THOSE

DECISIONS GOING FORWARD?

>> SO AS I MENTIONED, THIS IS

BECAUSE OF THIS STUDY AND OTHER

USES OF THESE FOOD INSECURITY

QUESTIONS, AS WE'VE BEEN ABLE

TO DEMONSTRATE THAT SNAP IS

ARGUABLY THE MOST EFFECTIVE

GOVERNMENT PROGRAM WE HAVE SETS

OUT TO ALLEVIATE FOOD INSECURITY

AND STUDY AFTER STUDY AFTER

STUDY HAS SHOWN THAT IT DOES,

INCLUDING THE DATA THAT'S

COLLECTED BY USDA THROUGH THE

SURVEY. MY CONCERN IS THAT AS WE

MAKE FUTURE CHANGES TO SNAP IN

VARIOUS DIRECTIONS IS WITHOUT

THIS DATA, WE'RE NOT GOING TO

BE ABLE TO SAY, IS THIS WORKING?

IS THIS NOT WORKING? WE REALLY,

REALLY NEED THIS DATA TO BE

EFFECTIVE STEWARDS OF TAXPAYERS

MONEY.

>> AND IT'S NOT JUST NIXING A

REPORT HERE. IT ALSO COMES AS

STEEP CUTS TO USDA PROGRAMS THAT

PROVIDE FOOD TO SCHOOLS AND FOOD

BANKS GO INTO EFFECT. WHAT IS

YOUR SENSE OF THE IMPACT ON

AMERICANS WHO ARE ALREADY

STRUGGLING TO ACCESS ADEQUATE

NUTRITION?

>> SO I THINK WE DO ABSOLUTELY

NEED TO HAVE A STRONG SOCIAL

SAFETY NET AGAINST HUNGRY UNITED

STATES AND SNAP AND OUR NETWORK

OF FOOD BANKS IS JUST INCREDIBLY

IMPORTANT TO THOSE EFFORTS. SO

MY CONCERN THAT WE'RE NOT GOING

TO HAVE THIS MEASURE IS THAT

WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO

SEE EXACTLY WHAT THE

IMPLICATIONS OF THESE CUTS AND

OTHER POSSIBLE CHANGES TO SNAP

AND TO PROVISIONS TO FOOD BANKS.

>> ALL RIGHT. CR