The next USDA report on hunger in the U.S. will be the last

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: Marketplace Morning Report
Episode Title: The next USDA report on hunger in the U.S. will be the last
Date: September 24, 2025
Host: David Brancaccio
Length: ~10 minutes

This episode informs listeners about the Trump administration's decision to end the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) annual report on household food insecurity—a key data source for policymakers, researchers, and advocacy groups for nearly 30 years. The show further covers market movements following Federal Reserve announcements, and updates on China's cessation of its international adoption program, adding insights into how adoptees are seeking their roots.

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Main Story: USDA Halts Annual Hunger Report

[00:57 – 02:54]

Key Discussion Points

• What’s Happening:
  The USDA has announced it will discontinue its annual report on food insecurity in America after the next release. This report, ongoing for about three decades, is a primary tool for measuring household hunger across the country.

• How Data Is Collected:
  The report is based on surveys from around 30,000 people, addressing food access, hunger, money, and governmental food assistance, with breakdowns by state and income level.

• Official Reason for Ending the Report:
  According to the USDA, the reports are “redundant, costly, politicized and extraneous.”

Expert & Advocate Voices

• Colleen Heflin, Researcher, Syracuse University:
  Disputes the USDA's justification, saying the report is rigorously factual and intentionally devoid of political emphasis.

  “I don’t think it uses any adjectives at all. It’s a very dry read. Purposefully. It’s not a political document. … It is just the facts as good federal statistics should be.” — Colleen Heflin [01:52]

• Minerva Delgado, Alliance to End Hunger:
  Explains how organizations rely on the report for advocacy and tailoring interventions.

  “There aren’t many other data sets that study food security and insecurity in as much depth. I think it’s going to make it harder all around to really measure what the impacts of the policies of this particular administration are.” — Minerva Delgado [02:33]

Memorable Moment

• David Brancaccio’s Opening Quip:

  “Is there less hunger in America if we stop tracking hunger?” — David Brancaccio [00:57]
  (Sets a skeptical tone about the administration’s decision)

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Markets & Policy Update

[02:54 – 05:06]

Key Discussion Points

• Stock Market Movements:
  The Nasdaq closed down 1% after a series of highs, triggered by Federal Reserve Chairman Powell’s cautious messaging on interest rates.

• Federal Reserve Signals:
  Powell says interest rates might or might not decline depending on future data and inflation.

• Susan Schmidt, Exchange Capital Resources:
  Reiterates the uncertain outlook.

  “Chairman Powell is wisely trying to remind everyone that nothing is set in stone.” — Susan Schmidt [03:16]

  “We want lower interest rates because it’s good for the labor market. But we are still looking out for inflation. … Chairman Powell is just trying to put out a word of caution and keep the market from getting ahead of itself.” — Susan Schmidt [03:39]

• NASDAQ & S&P 500 Performance:

  • NASDAQ 100 up 17% year-to-date
  • S&P 500 up 13% year-to-date
    (Despite volatility, overall strong market)

• Geopolitical News:
  European military hardware stocks jump after President Trump announces openness to Ukraine reclaiming lost territory with NATO help.

  • Renk (Germany) up 4%
  • Hensoldt (Germany) up
  • Lockheed Martin (US) closed up 1.3%

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Feature: The Costly Quest for Adoptees’ Roots in China

[06:08 – 09:15]

Key Discussion Points

• Background:
  A year after China ended its international adoption program, many of the 160,000+ adoptees (more than half in the U.S.) are adults searching for their birth families.

• Individual Story: Beth Henry

  • Adopted in 1995, raised in Arizona
  • Describes returning to China:

    “It was surreal. There were so many people that looked like me, which is something I’ve never really experienced.” — Beth Henry [06:34]

  • Faced with an information gap about her early life, Henry plans an organized search with professional help.
  • Cost breakdown:
    • Chinese searcher: US $700
    • Total trip: ~$2,200
    • Funds side hustle (pet sitting) to finance the search

• Growing Search Industry:

  • Hui Han Li, founder of My China Roots:

    “In the first few years we really focused on TV and newspaper ads. Now it's really online social media outreach. Also … from really focusing on paper based trails, we moved to a starting focus on DNA.” — Hui Han Li [08:32]

  • DNA services, social media ads, field research can total $1,500–$3,000+

• Chance of Success:

  • Many searchers report only about a 10% success rate.

• Beth Henry’s Motivation:

  “I just want to say that I tried. I just want to know that I did my best.” — Beth Henry [08:48]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:57] — Introduction to the USDA hunger report and its pending cancellation
• [01:52] — Colleen Heflin explodes the myth of politicization in the hunger report
• [02:33] — Minerva Delgado on the unique value of the data
• [03:14] — Susan Schmidt advises caution regarding the Fed and markets
• [06:30] — Beth Henry on her search for roots in China and its high costs
• [08:32] — Hui Han Li explains shift to DNA/online search methods
• [08:48] — Emotional note from Beth Henry on her search

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Notable Quotes

• David Brancaccio:

  “Is there less hunger in America if we stop tracking hunger?” [00:57]

• Colleen Heflin:

  “…It is just the facts as good federal statistics should be.” [01:52]

• Minerva Delgado:

  “There aren’t many other data sets that study food security and insecurity in as much depth.” [02:33]

• Susan Schmidt:

  “Chairman Powell is wisely trying to remind everyone that nothing is set in stone.” [03:16]

• Beth Henry:

  “I just want to say that I tried. I just want to know that I did my best.” [08:48]

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Overall Tone

The episode blends pointed skepticism (about government data transparency), practical analysis (on market and policy), and human interest (adoptees searching for origins). The tone is brisk, informative, and occasionally emotive, true to Marketplace’s style.

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For those who missed it, this episode underscores how decisions about government data affect public scrutiny and policy, highlights the ongoing uncertainty in financial markets, and shares the poignant journeys of international adoptees seeking to close gaps in their personal histories.

Transcript

[A]

You can turn to Marketplace to hear from powerful leaders and everyday people about the economy and their role in it. Now we hope we can turn to you. Marketplace is facing real threats and challenges as we plan for the future. As a public media program, donations from you are an important part of our budget. Here's one action you can take right now that will have a long lasting impact. Start a monthly donation to support our work. Five bucks a month is a great place to start. Head to marketplace.org donate and thank you.

[B]

This podcast is supported by Odoo.

[A]

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Blocks for business Odoo exactly what businesses need. Sign [e-mail] that's o d o o.com is there less hunger in America if we stop tracking hunger? I'm David Brancaccio in Los Angeles. Every fall for about three decades, the U.S. department of Agriculture comes out with a report assessing food security in households around the country. In about a month we'll get the latest, but the Trump administration indicates this will be the last. Marketplace's Carla Javier reports.

[A]

To prepare the report, the Census Bureau asked some 30,000 people questions about food, hunger and money. Their answers are broken down by household income, state, whether the individual used government food assistance. The USDA says it's terminating these reports because they are, quote, redundant, costly, politicized and extraneous. You know, I'm really shocked by this. That's Colleen Heflin, who researches economic measures of well being at Syracuse University. I don't think it uses any adjectives at all. It's a very dry read. Purposefully. It's not a political document. It doesn't give any policy recommendations. It is just the facts as good federal statistics should be. Heflin says researchers have used the report. So have food security organizations on the ground. Minerva Delgado's with the alliance to End Hunger. They may take their state data and advocate with their congressional offices, or they may be looking at specific populations, she says. There aren't many other data sets that study food security and insecurity in as much depth. I think it's going to make it harder all around to really measure what the impacts of the policies of this particular administration are. A USDA spokesperson pointed us to the department's original announcement of the end of the report. I'm Carla Javier for Marketplace.

[B]

Yesterday the Nasdaq closed down a vivid 1%, a contrast to the string of recent highs. It was in part due to a warning to market players that they should not have needed. The Federal Reserve chief saying while interest rates might go down more this year, they also might not. Susan Schmidt is at Exchange Capital Resources.

[A]

Just caution. Don't expect this to be a sure thing. Chairman Powell is wisely trying to remind everyone that nothing is set in stone. And then it still all depends on economic data that's rolling in and how inflation looks.

[B]

I know, because inflation is not dead. Prices are still going up. We're not at the central bank's target of 2%. And you know, you may want lower interest rates, but you don't want higher inflation.

[A]

That's right. We want lower interest rates because it's good for the labor market. But we are still looking out for inflation. Unfortunately, it is creeping up month over month, and Chairman Powell is just trying to put out a word of caution and keep the market from getting ahead of itself. The market has had a spectacular year thus far. When you look back, we're up 17% on the NASDAQ 100. That QQQ ETF and the S&P 500 is up 13% year to date. Not bad. A lot of volatility, but definitely not bad.

[B]

Susan Schmidt, the QQQ fund is popular with many investors, attracts the top 100 cream of the crop companies in the NASDAQ index. And here is how the world works after President Trump abruptly switched course yesterday, saying Ukraine could retake all of the territory it lost to Russia. With NATO's help, stocks in European military hardware companies are jumping up this morning. Germany's Renk makes tanks. Hensolt does radar and electronic warf there. Its stock up 4% here. Lockheed Martin closed up 1.3%.

[A]

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[B]

It's been a year since China ended an international adoption program that helped abandoned or orphaned children find families abroad. Over three decades, more than 160,000 children were adopted overseas, with at least half coming to the U.S. many are now adults and seek information about their own backstories. But as Katie Reuther reports, the cost of finding answers is high.

[A]

After graduating from college, Beth Henry traveled to China for the first time since her adoption in 1995. It was surreal. There were so many people that looked like me, which is something I've never really experienced. Henry grew up in Arizona, raised by a white American couple. That first trip back to China left her wanting to know more about herself and her past. There's eight or nine months of my life that nobody knows anything about and there's no photos and there's no documents and I'm curious about it. Next April, 30 year old Henry will return to China to look for her birth family, and she's hiring a Chinese searcher to help. They'll spend four days in the city she was adopted from passing out flyers, posting social media videos and talking to government officials. For this, Henry will pay her searcher upwards of US$700. She estimates the total cost of the trip will be around $2,200. She's taken up a side hustle to pay for it. I do pet sitting as my extra income and so all of that money goes straight to China. She found her searcher through word of mouth. Most searchers are individuals who've developed reputations for tracking down information about birth families, but at least one private company also has a piece of the market.

[B]

Since I started my China roots In 2012, Birth FamilySearch Services overall have grown.

[A]

Hui Han Li is the founder and CEO of My China Roots, a Chinese genealogy company that helps clients trace their ancestry. He attributes the boom in business to.

[B]

The increasing number of adoptees reaching an age where they might be more consciously interested in determining their place in this world.

[A]

About 200 adoptees and their families have hired Lee's team to gather information about their origins. They pay up to $1,500 for DNA services, social media ads and field research. A custom trip to China can cost up to a few thousand dollars. Lee says advances in technology have shifted the way he does business.

[B]

In the first few years we really focused on TV and newspaper ads. Now it's really online social media outreach. Also from really focusing on paper based trails, we moved to a starting focus on DNA.

[A]

With these new resources, increasing numbers of adoptees are finding their birth families, but the chances are still low. Many searchers like the one Beth Henry is hiring report only about a 10% success rate. I just want to say that I tried. I just want to know that I did my best. Henry says she'll continue to seek the truth about her origins regardless of how things turn out. I'm Katie Reuther for Marketplace.

[B]

Marketplace Morning Report is from APM American Public Media. This week on Million Bazillion, we're giving you an extra special history lesson on bubbles. Economic bubbles, that is. We'll learn all about the housing boom and bust of the 2000s. Plus, we'll explore other famous bubbles like tulips and dot coms, to uncover why they happen and why it's so hard to know you're in one until it pops. Don't miss this week's episode of Million Bazillion. Listen on your favorite podcast.

[A]

Apparently.