Press Release  Governor Healey Denounces President Trump's Decision to Cut $12 Million in Federal Funding to Feed Children, Support Local Farmers in Massachusetts

Boston — Governor Maura Healey is criticizing the Trump Administration for cancelling more than $12 million in federal funding to provide local, healthy food to child care programs and schools in Massachusetts. On Friday night, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education received a notice of termination from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) of the second round of Local Food for Schools grant funding, claiming that they “determined this agreement no longer effectuates agency priorities and that termination of the award is appropriate.” 

This $12.2 million award, known as Northeast Food for Schools (NFS) in Massachusetts, was to be used to provide local healthy food to child care programs and schools, and to create new procurement relationships with local farmers and small businesses. Food costs have been shown to be one of the primary drivers of high child care costs.

“Donald Trump and Elon Musk have declared that feeding children and supporting local farmers are no longer ‘priorities,’ and it’s just the latest terrible cut with real impact on families across Massachusetts,” said Governor Maura Healey. “There is nothing ‘appropriate’ about it. Trump and Musk are continuing to withhold essential funding in violation of court orders, and our children, farmers and small businesses are bearing the brunt of it.”

Massachusetts previously awarded more than $3.5 million in NFS funds from the USDA to the following school districts: Acton Boxborough Regional School District, Acushnet Public Schools, Agawam Public Schools, Amherst School Committee, Amherst/Pelham Regional School District, Andover Public Schools, Arlington Public Schools, Ashburnham-Westminster, Ashland Public Schools, Assabet Valley Regional Vocational S. D., Athol-Royalston Regional School District, Attleboro Public Schools, Auburn Public Schools, Avon Public Schools, Ayer-Shirley Regional District, Barnstable Public Schools, Belchertown School Committee, Belmont Public Schools, Berkley Schools, Berlin-Boylston Regional School District, Beverly Public Schools, Billerica Public Schools, Blackstone-Millville Regional School, Blue Hills Regional School District, Boston Preparatory Charter School, Boston School Committee, Braintree Public Schools, Brewster Elementary School, Bridgewater-Raynham Regional, Brimfield Elementary, Bristol County Agricultural, Bristol-Plymouth Regional School District, Bridge Boston Charter School, Brookfield School Committee, Brookline Public Schools, Burlington Public Schools, Canton Public Schools, Cape Cod Regional Tech High School, Chelmsford School Committee, Chicopee Public Schools, Children's Study Home, Codman Academy Charter School, Cohasset Public Schools, Collab. for Reg. Ed. Serv.& Training, Community Charter School, Concord Public Schools, Concord-Carlisle Regional District, Conway School Committee, Dartmouth School Committee, Dedham Public Schools, Deerfield School Committee, Department of Youth Services, Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School Dist.,  Douglas School Department, Dover Public Schools, Dover-Sherborn Regional School District, Dudley-Charlton School District, Duxbury Public Schools, East Bridgewater School Committee, East Longmeadow Public Schools, Easton Public Schools, Edgartown School Committee, Erving Public Schools, Everett Public Schools, Fairhaven Public Schools, Fall River Deaconess Home, Fall River Public Schools, Fitchburg School Department, Foxborough Public Schools, Franklin County Technical School, Franklin School Committee, Frontier Regional School District, Gardner School Committee, Gateway Regional School District, Georgetown School Department, Gill-Montague Regional School District, Gloucester School Committee, Grafton Public Schools, Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational School, Greenfield Public Schools, Groton-Dunstable Regional Sch District, Hadley School Department, Hamilton-Wenham Regional Sch District, Hampden-Wilbraham Regional Sch District, Hanover School Department, Harvard Public Schools, Hatfield School Committee, Haverhill Public Schools, Hawlemont Regional School District, Hingham Public Schools, Holland School Committee, Holliston Public Schools, Holyoke Community Charter School, Holyoke Public Schools, Hopkinton Public Schools, Hudson Public Schools, Innovation Academy Charter Sch, Ipswich School Committee, Lawrence Catholic Academy Inc., Lawrence Public Schools, Learning Center for Deaf Children, Learning First Charter, Lee Public Schools, Leicester Public Schools, Lenox School Committee, Leominster Public Schools, Leverett Public Schools, Lexington School Committee, Lincoln Public Schools, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School District, Littleton Public Schools, Longmeadow Public Schools, Lowell Public Schools, Ludlow Public Schools, Lynn Public Schools, Lynnfield Public Schools, Malden Public Schools, Marblehead Community Charter School, Marblehead School Department, Marlborough School Department, Masconomet Regional School District, Maynard Public Schools, McAuley Nazareth Home for Boys, Medfield Public Schools, Medford Public Schools, Mendon-Upton Regional School District, Mesivta of Greater Boston, Methuen Public Schools, Middleborough Public Schools, Millbury School Department, Millis Public Schools, Milton School Committee, Mohawk Trail Regional School District, Monson Public Schools, Montachusett Regional Voc Tech, Nantucket School Committee, Narragansett Regional School District, Nashoba Regional School District, Nashoba Valley Tech High School, Natick Public Schools, Nauset Regional School Committee, Needham Public Schools, New Bedford Public Schools, Newburyport Public Schools, Newton Public Schools, Norfolk County Agricultural, Norfolk Public Schools, North Adams School Committee, North Andover Public Schools, North Attleboro Public Schools, North Brookfield, North Middlesex Regional School District, North Reading School Committee, Northampton - Smith Vocational, Northampton Public Schools, Northborough School Committee, Northbridge Public Schools, Norton Public Schools, Norwood Public Schools, Old Colony Regional Voc Tech, Old Rochester Regional School District, Old Sturbridge Academy Charter School, Orange School Committee, Orleans School Committee, Palmer Public Schools, Pelham School Committee, Pembroke School Department, Petersham School Committee, Pioneer Valley Regional School District, Pittsfield Public Schools, Plainville School Committee, Plymouth School Committee, Quabbin Regional School District, Quaboag Regional School District, Quincy Public Schools, Ralph C Mahar Regional School District, Randolph Public Schools, Reading Public Schools, Revere Public Schools, Rockland School Committee, Rockport School Committee, Rowe School Committee, Salem School Department, Sandwich School Committee, Saugus School Committee, Schools for Children, Scituate Public Schools, Seem Collaborative, Shaloh School Oholei Torah, Sharon Public Schools, Sherborn Public Schools, Shrewsbury Public Schools, Shutesbury Public Schools, Somerville Public Schools, South Coast Educational Collaborative, South Middlesex Regional Voc Tech, Southborough School Committee, Southbridge Public Schools, Southern Berkshire Regional School Dist., Southwick-Tolland Regional School District, Spencer-East Brookfield Regional, Springfield Public Schools, St Agnes School, St Mary School, St Theresa School, Stoneham Public Schools, Stoughton Public Schools, Sturbridge School Department, Sudbury Public Schools, Sunderland School Committee, Sutton Public Schools, Swansea Public Schools, Tewksbury School Committee, Town of Eastham, Tri-County Regional Vocational Tech, Triton Regional School District, Truro School Committee, Tyngsborough School Department, Up-Island Regional School, Uxbridge Public Schools, Wakefield Public Schools, Wales School Committee, R Walker Home and School, Walpole Public Schools, Waltham Public Schools, Watertown Public Schools, Wayland Public Schools, Wayside Youth and Family Support, Webster School Committee, Wellesley Public Schools, Wellfleet School Committee, West Bridgewater School Committee,  Weston Public Schools, Westport Community School District, Whately School Committee, Wilmington Public Schools, Winchendon Public Schools, Winchester Public Schools, Winthrop School Committee, Woburn Public Schools, and Worthington Public Schools. 

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