Nathan Magrath, Karen Ehrens, and Blake Selzer
Nathan Magrath is Manager of Communications and Outreach at the Alliance to End Hunger. Karen Ehrens serves as U.S. Policy Manager. Blake Selzer serves as International Policy Manager.
The new year is ushering in a dramatically different policy landscape in Washington, DC. Republicans have won a trifecta in government – maintaining a House majority, gaining a majority in the Senate, and of course, winning back the White House. Plans are already in motion to undertake serious reforms within agencies and programs, with implications for both domestic and global food security and nutrition programs.
For a peek into where hunger and malnutrition stand at this point and what we should expect in the coming months, we convened two of the Alliance’s experts on food security and nutrition trends and policy here in the U.S. and around the world. Karen Ehrens is the Alliance to End Hunger’s U.S. Policy Manager – responsible for facilitating and implementing the Alliance’s domestic policy agenda on Capitol Hill and within the Administration. Blake Selzer is the Alliance’s International Policy Manager, responsible for the policy agenda as it pertains to global food security and nutrition issues.
Nathan Magrath, Manager of Communications and Outreach (NM): Karen and Blake, before we get into the ins and outs of what to expect in the coming weeks and months, let’s start with the state of food and nutrition security overall. Karen, how prevalent is food insecurity in the United States, and what has the trend been, if any, in recent years?
Karen Ehrens, U.S. Policy Manager (KE): Hello, Nate! 47.4 million or 14.3 percent of people in the U.S. were food insecure at least some time in 2023 (the latest year for which data are available); of these, 13.8 million were children. Unfortunately, this is the second year that 
food insecurity has increased. It is remarkable that with additional benefits and allowances in rules in federal nutrition programs like SNAP, WIC, and school meals, and with people helping people, rates of food insecurity did not increase in the U.S. during the global COVID pandemic. However, as benefits and allowances were permitted to expire since the pandemic was declared “over,” food insecurity has begun to increase again.
Food security means that people have “consistent, dependable access to enough food for active, healthy living (USDA).” Nutrition security is an evolving concept that recognizes that people need not only enough food, but also food that promotes health and well-being and is safe and affordable.
NM: Thanks Karen. Blake, the world has witnessed a global food crisis in recent years, worsened by conflict as well as climate and weather variations. What does global food and nutrition security look like today?
Blake Selzer, International Policy Manager (BS): Unfortunately, today we are facing a global food security crisis with over 700 million people around the world facing hunger. This is the result of a historically unprecedented combination of push factors on food insecurity – conflict and climate change, with climate change both a cause and effect of agricultural and food security policy.
We see hunger hotspots across the globe from Sudan, to Gaza, to Haiti, and elsewhere. The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) in November painted a sobering picture warning of acute food insecurity across 22 countries in 2025.
NM: The “first 100 days” are often cited as a marker for how successful the rollout of a new Administration’s policy agenda is. As such, this is a prime opportunity for the new Administration and Congress to make significant changes. Using your crystal ball, what can we expect to see in the short to medium term that the food and nutrition communities will be keeping an eye on?
KE: Food and nutrition security advocates will be watching the incoming U.S. Presidential administration to see if the President and Congress will propose to pay for tax cuts for people who are the most well off by cutting programs like SNAP which are a lifeline to people who are the least well off. Advocates are already hard at work in 2025 making the case for the importance of federal nutrition programs to the health, productivity, education, and very lives of Americans.
BS: On the international front, the Alliance will be focused on both Capitol Hill and Trump Administration appointments to key agencies, including USAID and the Department of State. The 118th Congress kicked the can down the road on legislation funding efforts to fight global hunger and malnutrition, as well as the Farm Bill. In the short term, Congress will be faced with finalizing last year’s funding bills before the next government shutdown showdown March 14. We will be focused on ensuring that legislation includes hard-fought levels of funding for key food security and nutrition programs. We expect Congress to expeditiously resume negotiations on the Farm Bill started in the last Congress, and we will be working hard to ensure it contains provisions to reform international food aid programs to reach more individuals in need of assistance.
NM: There is a lot in the news right now, and as you know there are many issues that can play into the state of food and nutrition security outside of direct food and agriculture policy. The war in Ukraine and its impacts on food crops such as wheat, sunflowers, corn, and other grains, as well as fertilizer availability was one such example. Are there any similar “external” factors you may be keeping an eye on?
KE: I think that the cost of food is top of mind for many people. Many factors, both within and outside of the United States impact the cost of food to the people who purchase and eat it. Cuts to federal nutrition programs harm people and also impact the farmers and producers who grow our food, the retailers who sell our food, and local economies in every county and state in the nation. We encourage Congress to finish its work by passing appropriations that do not cut nutrition programs and to finish a Farm Bill that supports farmers and eaters.
People’s ability to access and afford food will also be impacted by the availability of farm workers to plant, tend and harvest food. Will many workers be forced to leave the U.S. due to their immigration status? If so, then there will potentially be less food grown and harvested in our country, which will also drive up food prices.
Decisions made by Congress and the President this year will also impact how much money is available for food and other basic needs for living like housing, healthcare, childcare, and taxes. Will a child tax credit be expanded? Will credits toward health insurance premium payments continue? Will people whose lives, livelihoods, and property were damaged or destroyed in recent fires or hurricanes be supported through the federal government? Will the SNAP program cut off access to help with purchasing food? Often a family’s food budget is the first thing to be reduced when needing to cover other household expenses because there is some flexibility there.
BS: You could characterize them as “external” factors, but there are two major drivers of global hunger and malnutrition: conflict and climate change. While we can’t completely predict new conflicts that may arise, we know existing conflict and climate-related events will continue to push food security and nutrition in the wrong direction. We also know that hunger is not only a consequence of conflict, but also a driver as well. In the news we see continued conflict in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and Haiti. Famine has been recently declared in Sudan and Gaza is on the brink. Gang violence in Haiti continues making it much more difficult to deliver humanitarian services, including food aid, to vulnerable populations in need. We will be keeping an eye on these conflicts and advocating for those affected to receive critically needed food assistance. We have also seen an increase in climate-related natural disasters around the world from drought to floods. The Alliance will be working hard to ensure that vulnerable communities around the world are better able to adapt to a changing climate.
NM: Thinking about the Alliance to End Hunger’s advocacy priorities, what do you foresee a general advocacy strategy will look like in 2025? Is there going to be a lot of “playing defense,” or are there some real opportunities to make progress on issues of hunger and malnutrition?
KE: The priorities of Alliance members are clear: federal nutrition programs that help to end hunger and food insecurity are vital to so many lives and must be fully funded. Benefits in programs where assistance is provided to purchase food must extend to online purchases and include allowances that make it possible to transact more necessary interactions online/by phone; these improvements 
need to continue. Benefit levels that are adequate and meaningful to be able to purchase healthful foods and foods that are important to culture and religious beliefs also need to continue.
BS: The international priorities of the Alliance are to support programs that help to alleviate global hunger and malnutrition. Advocacy will focus on both the key federal agencies (USAID, State Department, and USDA) and key congressional committees including the House and Senate Agriculture and Appropriations committees. This advocacy will seek to influence President Trump’s budget for USAID, the State Department, and USDA, and funding levels approved by Congress. While we will indeed be defending critical programs from anticipated cuts, such as Food for Peace, we will also be looking for opportunities of bipartisan support for increasing the reach and efficiency of food aid programs, and in some instances increased funding as was seen last year for ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF).
NM: Finally, I’d love to end this conversation on a high note. What are you most looking forward to in 2025?
KE: I look forward to meeting many more of the people working in national member organizations and in our state and local hunger-free communities member organizations. Our members are energized and committed to ending hunger, and their energy is contagious!
BS: I look forward to continuing to work with the Alliance’s amazing members and showcasing the work they do to fight hunger and malnutrition on Capitol Hill. I also look forward to meeting new members of Congress and their staff and (hopefully) get them to support our mission. I mean, who doesn’t oppose hunger and malnutrition?
NM: A huge “thank you” to Karen and Blake for their insights. As always, you can keep up with the Alliance by subscribing to our regular communications on our website, and follow us through X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Thank you all for taking an interest in our mission and work, and we look forward to the year ahead.
