# Plain Language Summary: Farmers Feeding America Act of 2025

This bill makes changes to federal emergency food assistance programs to get more food to people who need it. The main focus is on expanding and improving the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provides free groceries to food banks, soup kitchens, and other organizations that serve low-income Americans. The bill extends several funding programs through 2030 and increases the money available for buying and distributing food.

The bill adds $500 million per year from 2026 through 2030 specifically for purchasing food commodities that will be distributed through emergency food programs. It also doubles the funding for storing and transporting emergency food from $100 million to $200 million, which means food banks and similar organizations will have better resources to keep food fresh and get it where it's needed. Additionally, the bill extends funding for infrastructure grants that help these organizations improve their facilities and equipment through 2030.

The bill includes special provisions for Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands, recognizing that these geographically isolated areas face unique challenges getting food delivered. These locations can now work with the federal government to find alternative ways to receive food shipments or can use cash to buy fresh produce locally instead. The bill also gives the government more flexibility when buying fresh produce packages by allowing them to consider factors beyond just the lowest price, such as product variety and how far the food has to travel, while still keeping nutrition as the top priority.

Farmers Feeding America Act of 2025

Salinas, Andrea

Farmers Feeding America Act of 2025This&nbsp;bill reauthorizes The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP),&nbsp;increases funding for the program,&nbsp;and provides additional delivery options for geographically isolated states (i.e., Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam).TEFAP is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of people with low income by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. Through TEFAP, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) purchases a variety of commodities and makes those food products (e.g., canned, frozen, dried, and fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, dairy, and whole-grain and enriched grain products) available to state distributing agencies.The bill increases funding for purchasing commodities under&nbsp;the program.Further, the bill directs USDA to coordinate with geographically isolated states to (1) establish alternative delivery options for allocated commodities, and (2) allow for the states to order commodities through the&nbsp;USDA Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.&nbsp;USDA may also provide geographically isolated states the ability to directly purchase domestically grown food in lieu of receiving a portion of the commodities. Under this option, USDA may distribute as cash&nbsp;to the state up to 20% of the cash value of the commodities that are allocated to the state under TEFAP.&nbsp;Further, USDA may consider additional factors beyond lowest price&nbsp;in determining winning bids for contracts for fresh produce packages&nbsp;(including product variety and transportation distance).&nbsp;