Sen. Angus King joined dozens of Senate colleagues to demand that the U.S. Department of Agriculture reinstate funding cut last week for programs that connect schools, community organizations and food banks with locally sourced food.

In a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, King, I-Maine, and 30 senators charge that cutting $1 billion to the Local Food Purchase Assistance and Local Food for Schools programs “poses extreme harm to producers and communities in every state across the country” at a time when food prices and food instability are rising nationwide.

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, meanwhile, helped organize a group of more than 80 House Democrats who voiced “deep dismay and concern” over the cuts in a separate letter to Rollins.

“At a time when farmers are facing increased input costs and significant uncertainty due to the indiscriminate funding freeze on certain USDA funds, and when grocery costs have not come down and more families are relying on food banks and school meals, it is reckless and cruel to cancel LFPA and LFS awards to states,” the representatives charged. They stopped short, though, of requesting an immediate reversal.

The temporary programs, which were extended last year, would have provided roughly $1.3 million to Mainers in the 2025 fiscal year, King’s office said. The Maine Department of Education previously said it would have received about $2.78 million over three years.

Roughly 180,000 Mainers, including 45,000 children, face hunger, according to data collected by the national nonprofit Feeding America.

The USDA announced its cuts last week, alerting participants in 40 states that the contracts they signed months earlier would no longer be honored.

A spokesperson said the move was part of an effort to suspend certain programs in favor of “long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives.” They did not provide insight into what initiatives would be prioritized.

Both letters provided Rollins with lists of questions surrounding the potential impacts of the cuts and their justifications.

Members of the House asked how much total funding had been “clawed back by USDA” and how the agency intends to use those funds. They also questioned the legal justification behind canceling already signed contracts with states enrolled in the programs and asked how the agency plans to assist farmers, food banks and others who would have relied on or benefited heavily from the programs. They requested answers by Friday.

The senators asked Rollins when the USDA last reimbursed states, territories and tribes that had been participating in the programs, and whether the Trump administration “conducted any assessments” of the impact the cancellations would have on schools, food banks and child care centers. They requested answers, including a copy of any such report, by April 4.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, said cutting the grants designed to help food pantries and schools “is wrong” and said he would fight for federal programs aimed at supporting farmers and food stability. He did not sign the letter but provided a written statement to the Press Herald.

The funding connected local consumers and producers in what he called “a win-win for nutrition and our local food economy.”

“I’m not aware of any constituency asking to cut this funding,” Golden said.

Caroline Trinder, president elect of the Maine School Nutrition Association, said the funding had allowed nearly 120 districts across all 16 counties to buy local. She thanked King in a written statement.

“School districts have been able to source local fish, beef, dairy and produce from our farmers and fishermen here in Maine. This food provides our children healthy, minimally processed foods that we are proud to serve in our cafeterias,” Trinder said.

Heather Paquette, president of Good Shepherd Food Bank, also thanked King for his work on the letter. She told the Press Herald last week that her agency serves more and more residents each year, and the funding cuts could significantly hinder their work.

“Our donations are healthy, (but) we cannot expect them to keep pace” with need, Paquette said.

A USDA spokesperson said the agency is “committed to strengthening food security, supporting agricultural markets, and ensuring access to nutritious” and focusing on moving away from programs established during the pandemic.

“We’re prioritizing proven solutions that deliver real impact and responsibly steward taxpayer dollars,” the USDA spokesperson said in a written statement. “With that said, Secretary Rollins welcomes input on practical, viable approaches to nutrition programs moving forward.”

A spokesperson for Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she has “always been an advocate for school meal programs and is a strong supporter of the critical services that do so much for Maine.” They said Collins is “studying the origins of this particular program” and has asked the Trump administration for more details on its decision.

Last week, Collins, who chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the reinstatement of more than $56 million in unrelated USDA grants to the University of Maine System after “consulting with the administration,” her office said at the time.

The Local Food Purchase program funded more than $1.4 million in purchases from 75 local producers, according to USDA data. The school food program funded more than $775,000 in purchases for Maine.