LEXINGTON, Ky. — Democrats on a U.S. House spending panel on Thursday slammed President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to farm and nutrition programs, as Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins pledged to collaborate with members of both parties to address their concerns. The president’s fiscal 20 27 budget request would cut $4.9 billion—nearly one-fifth of the Department of Agriculture’s budget. House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee members accused the administration of gutting programs to help feed hungry people and support farmers, even as rising costs of groceries, gas and other necessities made those programs more essential than ever. “It’ll be hard for our constituents to believe that USDA serves America’s farmers and rural communities when USDA is taking away their services,” said Sanford Bishop of Georgia, the panel’s ranking Democrat. The proposal would eliminate more than 70 USDA programs and reduce staffing at key agencies. The Farm Service Agency would see more than a 25% staff reduction, from 8,135 employees in 2025 to 6,009 by 2027, making it harder for farmers to access credit, disaster relief and other financial services. The budget proposal comes as 2.5 million people have already lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program due to Republican spending and tax cuts legislation passed last year. In Kentucky, where more than 575,000 Kentuckians rely on SNAP, advocacy groups have warned that additional cuts could devastate food security for families and local economies. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the full Appropriations Committee ranking member, argued the budget was poorly timed. “The price of everyday goods continues to escalate: Grocery prices are up, gas prices are up, utility costs, housing costs, health care costs are through the roof,” she said. “The administration’s only plan is to decimate the public programs that help alleviate the strain on working families and farmers.” Rollins, a Texas native and former director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, defended the proposal while projecting a spirit of cooperation. She pledged never to close a Farm Service Agency office and offered to work directly with members to address understaffed offices. Rollins also reassured lawmakers she would field direct phone calls regarding their concerns. The secretary highlighted some departmental successes, noting that bird flu cases were down 61% and egg prices had dropped. She also touted increased crop exports and spoke of the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative as one of the department’s most important legacies. Congress has the final authority over spending through the Appropriations committees. In previous budget cycles, lawmakers have rejected Trump’s proposed cuts to USDA, choosing instead to maintain funding for bipartisan programs that support farmers and rural communities. This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Kentucky Lantern, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/04/16/repub/us-house-dems-at-ag-hearing-excoriate-trump-cuts-proposed-for-farm-and-food-aid/. The post House Democrats Criticize Trump USDA Budget Cuts at Ag Hearing appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less