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Shapiro is suing the federal government over $13 million in cuts to Pa. food banks, farmers

“They made a deal with Pennsylvania and they illegally broke it,” Shapiro said.

Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro announces that the state is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture over termination of the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program, during an event at the Share Food Program warehouse in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Jun. 4, 2025. He was joined by state Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and local farmers participating in the program that gave food banks like Share and schools money to buy food from local farms.
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro announces that the state is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture over termination of the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program, during an event at the Share Food Program warehouse in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Jun. 4, 2025. He was joined by state Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and local farmers participating in the program that gave food banks like Share and schools money to buy food from local farms.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

Gov. Josh Shapiro is suing President Donald Trump’s administration in an effort to restore $13 million in funds for food banks and farmers that the U.S. Department of Agriculture eliminated earlier this year.

Shapiro announced the suit Wednesday morning in a news conference at Share Food Program in Philadelphia.

In March, Shapiro’s administration asked the USDA to reconsider its decision to cancel the funding, but after months without progress, Shapiro said, legal action was necessary.

“You don’t need to be an attorney general to know the basic legal doctrine of a deal is a deal,” said Shapiro, a former state attorney general. “They made a deal with Pennsylvania and they illegally broke it.”

The USDA declined to comment on pending litigation.

The department announced in March it would end the $470 million Local Food Purchase Agreement Program, which provides funds for food banks to purchase food directly from local farmers. The agency argued the program was a pandemic-era initiative that no longer aligned with its priorities.

The cancellation of the program eliminated $13 million for 14 food banks over the next three years in Pennsylvania and left local food banks staring down significant cuts to their food purchasing budgets even as they anticipated growing need.

“The need here at our food bank, Share Food Program, has risen over 120% in the last three years,” George Matysik, the program’s executive director, said Wednesday.

Shapiro blasted the decision at the time, saying the administration had illegally canceled a contract for the funds that was agreed to under former President Joe Biden. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture followed internal procedures to challenge the decision before the commonwealth sued on Wednesday.

The federal government did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in April accused Shapiro of playing “political games” and claimed the agency had sent billions of dollars into food banks nationwide.

Shapiro, who gained national attention suing Trump’s first administration as attorney general and has repeatedly sued the administration this year as governor, said he was confident the suit would prevail. But if the funds are not restored, Shapiro added, the state would not be able to fund the program on its own.

“I’ve got a pretty good track record when I take Donald Trump to court,” he said.