Ten million more people in the United States reported living in food insecure households in 2022 compared to the previous year. This is ...
Ten million more people in the United States reported living in food insecure households in 2022 compared to the previous year.
This is according to the latest report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provided even more data on how President Joe Biden's administration has impacted everyday life for Americans.
According to the USDA report, 44.2 million people in the U.S. were struggling with food insecurity in 2022, up by more than 10 million from the 33.8 million people in 2021 who reported living in similar conditions.
"These findings are unacceptable, yet the report is the latest piece of evidence that as the pandemic began to wane in 2022, another public health concern – food insecurity – increased," said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack in a press release along with the report.
Included in the 44.2 million people living in food insecurity are more than 13 million children and a little under 31 million adults.
"These numbers are more than statistics. They paint a picture of just how many Americans faced the heartbreaking challenge last year of struggling to meet a basic need for themselves and their children," said Vilsack.
Trend of decreasing hunger in the U.S. being reversed under Biden
The USDA's findings show that, under the Biden administration, a decade-long decline in hunger and food security in the U.S. is being reversed. The report emphasized that, in 2022, the typical food-secure household had to spend an average of 15 percent more on food than the typical food-insecure household of the same size and household composition.
The USDA noted that nearly seven million households were so financially insecure last year that they had to skip meals on more than one occasion because there wasn't enough food to go around. Almost all of these households also could not afford to eat balanced meals.
In some of the worst-hit households with children – around 381,000 households – even kids were not spared from experiencing the pangs of hunger when they were also forced to skip meals or even go the whole day without eating.
This revelation comes as Biden continues to tout the supposed effectiveness of his Bidenomics economic plan, even as poverty and now hunger continue to explode. The Census Bureau just weeks ago reported that poverty in the U.S. made its fastest rise in half a century under Biden, with 15.3 percent more Americans falling below the poverty level.
Elaine Waxman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and expert on food insecurity, noted that, without significant changes in federal policy, more kids who have to deal with hunger could experience significant health consequences.
"In particular, we worry about that for children because their trajectory now influences what happens to them later," said Waxman, noting how research has found that children who experience food insecurity are more likely to experience worse health outcomes as they grow older, including cognitive and developmental delays and higher rates of hospitalization for chronic illnesses.
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