The Trump administration’s new agriculture secretary said canceling more than $1 billion in grants to schools and child care facilities to purchase fresh food from nearby farms and ranches is needed to eliminate an outdated program designed during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a news conference at the Georgia Capitol on Wednesday, Brooke Rollins also said that Hurricane Helene relief funds approved by Congress in December as part of a $100 billion emergency package would start being disbursed to Georgia farmers before a March 21 deadline.
“That money will begin to move in the next few weeks,” she said of the aid.
The comments in Atlanta came shortly after Rollins met with more than a dozen Republican state legislators who represent rural districts.
Georgia was one of 40 states participating in the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, which began in 2021 under the Biden administration. Georgia joined the program in 2023, just months before the World Health Organization declared an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program had bipartisan backing from Georgia leaders.
Rollins said President Donald Trump ordered agencies to reevaluate whether programs that “may sound really, really good” meet his administration’s standards as part of a broader plan to slash spending and shrink the federal government.
“Are they actually doing what the taxpayers have asked us to do, which is to use their tax dollars as smartly and efficiently as possible?” she said.
Rollins added the program was “specific to COVID only” and grant money that had not already been distributed was pulled back.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff urged Rollins to reverse course this week.
“This will hurt Georgia kids and Georgia farmers,” said Ossoff, who is up for reelection next year. “We should support our schools providing kids with fresh, nutritious food grown locally by Georgia farmers. It’s a win-win for childhood nutrition and Georgia agriculture.”
Rollins’ vow to soon release Helene relief funding was welcome news to leaders in Georgia, where officials estimate damage from the hurricane totaled roughly $5.5 billion to the agriculture and timber industries.
“It’s so important in the agricultural industry to make sure we have the financing in place,” said House Speaker Jon Burns, who noted planting season is underway. “The certainty coming from the state and the federal government is critically important right now.”
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