Albany, Ga. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is pressing for answers after the Trump Administration canceled funding for childcare and child nutrition programs across Southwest Georgia.
Today, Sen. Ossoff is urging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins to reinstate Federal grant funding through the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission’s Childcare Access and Nutrition Systems (CANS) Program to help reduce food insecurity and improve access to childcare.
The USDA cooperative agreement, which was canceled earlier this year, funded several projects across Southwest Georgia, including afterschool programs in Dougherty County, a healthy food facility in a USDA-designated food desert in Upson County, and food pantries in both counties.
“[The CANS] Grant Program aimed to advance regional food and childcare systems by supporting local organizations that work towards expanding access to childcare facilities and healthy foods,” Sen. Ossoff wrote. “The Department [of Agriculture]’s decision not only hurts Georgians; it directly contradicts the Department’s stated goals of helping rural America thrive, and promoting agricultural production that better nourishes Americans.”
Sen. Ossoff continues to hold the Trump Administration accountable for the cancellation of critical programs in Georgia.
Earlier this month, Sen. Ossoff demanded answers after the Trump Administration gutted support for children with special needs in Department of Defense schools.
In August, Sen. Ossoff pressed the U.S. Department of Commerce to reverse canceled grants that helped underserved communities across Georgia access digital internet devices.
In May, Sen. Ossoff pressed Secretary Rollins on the Trump Administration’s cancellation of the Local Foods for Schools Program (LFS) that helps Georgia farmers sell fresh food to local schools.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s letter.
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