Governor Josh Shapiro of Abington Township is suing the Trump administration in an effort to restore $13 million in funds for food banks and farmers that the U.S. Department of Agriculture eliminated earlier this year.

Shapiro announced the suit Wednesday morning in a news conference at Share Food Program in Philadelphia.

According to a press release, the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program “directly supports 189 Pennsylvania farms and supplies 14 food banks with fresh, locally grown food.”

“The Shapiro Administration tried to appeal the USDA’s unlawful termination of the LFPA25 agreement, filing an administrative appeal through the USDA, reaching out to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, and even traveling to Washington, D.C. to meet with USDA leadership,” the release says. “Despite those efforts, the USDA ignored Pennsylvania’s requests to support farmers across the Commonwealth – leaving the Shapiro Administration with no other choice but to sue.”

“Pennsylvania farmers do the noble work of putting food on our tables – and for the last three years, they’ve been paid to provide fresh, local food to food banks across our Commonwealth as part of a successful federal initiative,” said Governor Shapiro. “When the USDA abruptly terminated our agreement without cause, they ripped away a reliable source of income for 189 Pennsylvania farms – and cut off funding that would have helped provide over 4.4 million meals to families across the Commonwealth. That’s not just bad policy – it’s a broken promise. A deal is a deal, and I’ve taken legal action today to ensure the federal government honors its commitment to Pennsylvania.”

The USDA announced it would end the $470 million Local Food Purchase Agreement Program in March, arguing that the program was a pandemic-era initiative that no longer aligned with its priorities.

In April, Shapiro jointly filed a lawsuit over the Trump administration’s cuts to AmeriCorps. In February, Shapiro filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s freeze of federal funding.

“I’ve got a pretty good track record when I take Donald Trump to court,” he said, as quoted by The Philadelphia Inquirer today.

FOX43’s video coverage is below:

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