Micheal Clements, NAFB News Service

The House Coronavirus Crisis subcommittee seeks data on the Farmers to Families Food Box Program from the Department of Agriculture. Committee Chair, Representative James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, made the request in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Clyburn cited concerns of “questionable contracting practices, a lack of accountability, and a failure to deliver food to many communities that need it most.” Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in March, which authorized USDA to purchase food directly from producers and distribute it to Americans in need of food assistance. The Democrat says USDA reportedly awarded contracts to companies that “never knew about” a required foodservice industry license and companies that lacked industry networks to source and deliver food. Clyburn alleges that rather than focusing on addressing these problems, the Administration “appears to be seeking political benefits from the program, including by inserting a letter signed by President Trump in food boxes.”