The state health department says the Trump administration’s recent decision to terminate a federal hunger survey will weaken the department’s decision-making capabilities moving forward.
“Losing objective evidence required for sound program design and accountability, undermines our ability to make data-driven decisions and respond to changes in community need,” North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Hannah Jones told the Citizen Times in a Sept. 23 email. “The discontinuation of this survey limits the capacity of NCDHHS to allocate resources, monitor trends, and craft responsive program policy necessary to address hunger and food insecurity across North Carolina.”