Following Visit to Redmond Food Service Facility, Bynum Leads Letter Demanding USDA Reverse Funding Freeze

Washington, DC - Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05)led the bicameral, Democratic Oregon Congressional delegation in sending a letterto the Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, strongly condemning the administration's payment freeze to a set of food assistance programs funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) after her visit to NeighborImpactin Redmond, OR.

During her visit to NeighborImpact's new food service facility, staff told Rep. Bynumthat due to the freeze, they are telling partners to expect a 20% decrease in food aid. Purchases made by the CCC account for around 18% of the food distributed by the Oregon Food Bank, the largest food bank network in the state. If the freeze continues, the equivalent of 30 truckloads of food - including dairy, meat, eggs, and produce - will be impacted as soon as this month.

"This misguided freeze is actively impacting the ability of Oregon food banks to place food orders and worsening food insecurity in our communities," the Members wrote. "We urge you to reverse this funding freeze immediately to ensure that Oregon families-and families across the country-do not face disruption to essential food distribution services."

The Local Food Purchasing Assistance program, which supports the sale of fresh, locally grown foods to food banks, also receives funding from the CCC. Without it, local farmers will also face interruptions.

"President Trump and his administration have a stated goal of lowering prices for American families," the Members continued."Cuts to food assistance programs like food banks push that goal further out of reach for the families that rely on these essential services."

The CCC provides payments to food assistance programs including the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDIPR), and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). At the date this letter was sent, all CCC TEFAP orders have been cancelled through July.

Read the full letter here and below:

Dear Secretary Rollins:

We, the undersigned members of the Oregon congressional delegation, write to condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing payment freeze issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to a set of food assistance programs funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). This misguided freeze is actively impacting the ability of Oregon food banks to place food orders and worsening food insecurity in our communities. We urge you to reverse this funding freeze immediately to ensure that Oregon families-and families across the country-do not face disruption to essential food distribution services.

As you are aware, USDA announced in early February 2025 that it would suspend CCC payments to food assistance programs, including the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDIPR), and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). We are gravely concerned about the impact of these funding freezes on the families that we represent. Our state's largest food bank network, Oregon Food Bank, distributed 73 million meals in 2023 and saw 2.5 million visits to its food assistance sites last year. CCC purchases account for about 18% of the food the Oregon Food Bank distributes to its clients, and as of the date of this letter, all CCC TEFAP orders have been cancelled through July.

If the funding freeze is not lifted, the flow of dairy, eggs, meat, and produce - the equivalent of 30 truckloads of food - to neighbors in need will be disrupted as soon as this month. On top of this, local farmers will lose the funds they would have received from selling fresh, locally grown foods to food banks under the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) program, which is funded by CCC.

We ask that you reverse the destructive funding freeze at CCC and immediately restore the flow of federal funding for programs that feed our communities and keep our farmers afloat. President Trump and his administration have a stated goal of lowering prices for American families. Cuts to food assistance programs like food banks push that goal further out of reach for the families that rely on these essential services. We urge you to take immediate action to correct course and ensure that the communities we represent do not face heightened food insecurity because of your official actions.

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