“I can’t stand for too long a time, or I lose my balance.”
This is the reality for Rubem DaSilva, a 79-year-old retired accountant living alone in New York City, whenever he attempts to prepare a meal or go grocery shopping, a challenge he has faced since his cerebral hemorrhage. His situation exemplifies a daily occurrence: elderly Americans silently enduring hunger behind closed doors.
States are expressing concern that vital provisions will be exhausted as early as next week—a thought that consistently brings to mind Rubem and countless others in his precarious situation. While our attention is currently fixed on the immediate crisis posed by the government shutdown, we have already forfeited something far more enduring: our capacity to anticipate the next impending crisis.
Last month, the Trump Administration discontinued the USDA’s annual Household Food Security Report—the sole national data source that measures hunger by age, disability status, and household composition. For the first time in three decades, the United States will no longer track hunger nationwide. Without this crucial data, millions of older adults, like Rubem, will effectively disappear from public awareness as the social safety net continues to unravel around them.
The timing of that decision could hardly be worse. Beyond the looming threat to SNAP, benefits have already been reduced in the long term by Washington leaders. Simultaneously, inflation and new tariffs continue to push food costs upward. In New York, grocery prices have soared over the past decade, greatly exceeding increases in wages and fixed retirement income.
Those in need, particularly older Americans, are most severely affected by these cuts. Our neighbors who are physically or cognitively impaired, homebound, and socially isolated are unable to access additional food resources. They cannot travel to a local food pantry to supplement what little they have. For those on fixed incomes, every price increase means either skipping a meal or cutting a prescription in half. We estimate that a significant number of older Americans confront food insecurity. With an aging population, that figure is only projected to grow.
And yet, precisely when a deeper understanding of the hunger crisis is most essential, we are dismantling our best instrument for monitoring it. For decades, the USDA survey has guided billions in federal funding for senior nutrition programs, including home-delivered meals and SNAP benefits for older adults. It has informed policymakers about which communities are most vulnerable and whether federal programs are achieving their goals. Without this data, those funds will be allocated haphazardly or potentially cut entirely, leaving us ignorant of where the crisis is most severe or who is falling through the gaps.
We comprehend the immense potential when hunger is measured, as we have witnessed its effectiveness firsthand.
Last year, Citymeals conducted a comprehensive study on food insecurity among homebound older New Yorkers. We discovered that 60% of our surveyed recipients still experience food insecurity despite receiving daily meals. Furthermore, 65% subsist on less than $15,000 annually in one of the country’s most expensive cities. Some even survive on meager “meals” like ketchup sandwiches, simply because one home-delivered meal a day is insufficient.
The USDA survey accomplishes this at a national scale, monitoring which older Americans are struggling, where they reside, and whether federal programs are reaching them. Without this survey, policymakers are operating without vital information—and non-profit organizations like ours cannot replicate that essential federal infrastructure.
The Trump Administration should reverse this decision and reinstate the USDA Food Security Survey. Congress should ensure its sustained funding and its continued mandate to track hunger. Moreover, non-profit organizations must step up and collaborate in partnership with other anti-hunger organizations, older adult providers, and local and state governments to continue this invaluable research. We need to identify who is hungry in our city and develop effective strategies to serve them; otherwise, we risk losing more than just statistics. We will effectively abandon millions of older Americans, like Rubem, who are unable to advocate for themselves.
For 30 years, America diligently measured hunger, tracking who struggled and whether our programs were effective. Now, we are choosing to allow millions of vulnerable older Americans to disappear from public awareness. We know that data possesses the power to generate solutions for every American. We merely need to pay attention.