Today, Senator Reverend Warnock grilled Trump Administration nominee about his involvement in the Trump Administration’s decision to cancel $500 million of funding for food banks in March 2025
Trump Administration nominee did not recall referring to that now-eliminated funding as a “slush fund”
The Atlanta Community Food Bank, who was directly impacted by the $500 million cut, told Axios the organization is now helping 70% more people than it was three years ago due to the rising cost of living
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) grilled U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Inspector General nominee John Walk about his May 2025 letter to Senator Warnock, which he called now-eliminated federal food bank funding a “slush fund.” Mr. Walk said he had no recollection of referring to this life-saving funding as a “slush fund.”
Prior to this nomination, Mr. Walk served as Acting Deputy Under Secretary for the Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services when the Administration made the decision to cut $500 million from food banks. That included 2 million gallons of milk, 27 million pounds of chicken, 67 million eggs, and 10 million pounds of dried fruit that was set to go to millions of American children and families. Mr. Walk said he was not involved in the elimination of $500 million in food bank funding, but inexplicably was one of the leading voices at USDA defending the decision to members of Congress.
“Mr. Walk, do you still stand by your categorization of the emergency food assistance program as a quote slush fund?” Senator Reverend Warnock asked Mr. Walk.“You’re not aware of your own letter? That’s a pretty serious accusation that funds intended to go to food banks to support hungry people is a slush fund. Food banks in Georgia disagree with that characterization, I’ll tell you that. And they tell me that canceling this federal support has made it harder to feed hungry Georgians, and has meant that more families and children in Georgia go hungry.”
The Senator continued to question Mr. Walk on the Trump Administration’s current decision to cut off Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding for 42 million Americans next month despite having ample funds to continue the life-saving program. The nominee dodged questions on the $5 billion available to fund SNAP that the Trump Administration is choosing to not use.
“They’re deciding to pit hungry people against sick people, and I think that’s immoral,” continued Senator Warnock.“There’s nothing legally stopping the administration from making emergency food assistance funds that they’re just sitting on available for Georgia kids and families in November… It is indisputable that the USDA under the Trump Administration is choosing to pull hungry children into this fight. They’re not just in this fight. They’re being pulled into this fight, used as pawns for short-term political gain. I think it’s deeply immoral, and I think we can certainly do better than that.”
Senator Warnock is a champion for SNAP, which helps families afford groceries. The Senator, along with Senator Ossoff, recently signed onto a new oversight effort urging USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to release the billions of dollars at its disposal to ensure SNAP benefits continue in November.
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