Governor Josh Shapiro of Abington is asking President Donald Trump’s administration to reconsider its decision to cancel $13 million in funding for Pennsylvania food banks to buy food from local farmers.

According to his announcement, Shapiro is appealing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) termination of the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program, which provides funds to Pennsylvania’s farmers who supply local food banks with fresh produce.

“Over the past two and a half years, PDA has driven out more than $28 million in federal funding from the LFPA program to local farmers across the Commonwealth — and in return, food banks have gotten fresh, local food from Pennsylvania farmers to help them feed our most vulnerable neighbors,” the announcement said. “That same program was set to provide $13 million over the next three years to support the purchase of more fresh, locally grown food for food banks.”

The action was preceded by a roundtable discussion with local leaders and farmers from Adams, Cumberland, and Schuylkill counties at the Central PA Food Bank. If the USDA does not reverse its decision, Shapiro said he “is prepared to pursue further legal action to safeguard vital revenue streams for farmers and ensure uninterrupted food access for residents.”

“Pennsylvania farmers do the noble work of putting food on our table – and for the last three years, they have been paid to provide fresh, local food to food banks across our Commonwealth as part of a successful federal initiative,” Shapiro’s announcement said. “But earlier this month, we received notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that the Trump Administration had decided to cancel our agreement. As a result of this unlawful action, 189 Pennsylvania farms will lose a critical source of revenue – and 14 food banks across the Commonwealth will lose access to local, fresh food. I’ve directed Secretary Redding to immediately appeal the USDA’s decision to unlawfully terminate this agreement and demand that the federal government honor their obligations under the agreement we signed just four months ago.”

Last week, Shapiro said he will consider legal action if the executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education causes Pennsylvania to lose billions in federal funding for its schools.

In related news, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean of Glenside is calling for a full investigation of the Trump Administration’s “reckless mishandling of classified military plans”, she said in a post.

The Atlantic released yesterday a transcript of the group chat about U.S. strikes in Yemen between top Trump administration officials and the magazine’s top editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, who was mistakenly added. NBC News has additional coverage here.

She appeared on MSNBC on Tuesday to discuss her views on the issue:

Dean posted the video below as a follow up, with the caption “This is serious. We need an investigation, accountability, and ultimately, resignations”:

For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.