Anti-Hunger Advocates ‘Gobsmacked’ by Trump’s Pick of Loeffler for Secretary of Agriculture
Today, credible reports stated that President-elect Donald Trump will appoint former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler as the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Pending Senate confirmation, she would be in a top position to help — or hinder — the 47 million Americans facing food insecurity in this country. MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, the leading national organization advocating to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds, expressed extreme concern about this pick and called on Senators to utilize the confirmation process to ensure that Loeffler would take concrete steps to fight hunger in this country.
Abby J. Leibman, MAZON’s President & CEO stated:
“We are gobsmacked by the selection of Sen. Kelly Loeffler to lead USDA — a position that demands someone with years of experience and a deep understanding of food policies and systems. With over 47 million Americans facing food insecurity and the trends worsening, we are clearly facing a hunger crisis in this country. And if President-elect Trump delivers on his dangerous campaign promises, we will soon also be facing a food labor, supply, and cost crisis. USDA Secretary is a key position that can address the ‘kitchen table issues’ that impact millions of Americans, and the Secretary must center ensuring that all Americans can put food on that kitchen table for themselves and their families.
“We cannot hide our heads in the sand and pretend that the issues of hunger and food insecurity are not real — in fact, they exist in every state, every congressional district of this country. No matter who is in office, there are children who don’t have access to meals at school, single mothers who are going hungry so that their kids might eat, military families getting their groceries at food pantries, and working people who don’t know when or where to expect their next meal. We need leaders who will put aside any partisan bent, roll up their sleeves, and do the hard work. Given her lack of expertise, experience, or potentially even interest in these issues, we fear Sen. Loeffler will not be that person and is the wrong nominee for the job.”