The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that it will no longer publish its annual Household Food Security Survey, a critical tool for tracking how many Americans struggle to access food. The USDA defended the decision by labeling the survey “redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous.”

This decision comes at a time when hunger and food insecurity are deepening nationwide and in Nevada:

• In 2023, 15.1% of Nevadans—nearly half a million residents—faced food insecurity.
• Of those, 38% did not qualify for SNAP assistance, creating a “missing middle” of households who cannot afford groceries but are excluded from federal supports.
• Rural counties like Esmeralda, Nye, and Mineral report food insecurity rates around 20%, far above the state average.
• In Clark County, home to most of the state’s population, about 15% of households face food insecurity, concentrated in underserved communities.

A new report from the Guinn Center highlights Nevada’s structural challenges: the state lacks a central authority on food insecurity and is overly reliant on federal dollars and federal data. With the USDA cutting off this vital source of information, Nevada’s ability to respond to the growing hunger crisis will be severely hampered.