May 21, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is canceling grants under the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, including to Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the international aid group said Wednesday. The cessation of aid under the program will end school feeding programs for 780,000 children across 11 countries at CRS, just one group impacted by the cuts. Politico first reported on the agency’s plan to make the cuts yesterday.
“This decision isn’t just a policy shift—it’s a life-altering blow to hundreds of thousands of children who rely on these meals to stay healthy, stay in school and stay hopeful about their future,” CRS CEO Sean Callahan said in a statement. “It is un-American to stand by and not provide assistance while hunger robs children of their chance to learn and thrive.”
The program provides U.S. agricultural commodities and technical expertise to help education, childhood development, and food security in lesser developed countries. Along with Catholic Relief Services, McGovern-Dole projects are undertaken by nonprofit organizations, cooperatives, the United Nations World Food Programme, and others, according to the USDA.
“By providing school meals, teacher training and related support, McGovern-Dole projects help boost school enrollment and academic performance,” the agency says. “At the same time, the program also focuses on improving children’s health and learning capacity before they enter school by offering nutrition programs for pregnant and nursing women, infants and preschoolers.”
The canceled grants will mean less demand for U.S. farmer commodities, even as other trade policies are pinching growers. And it will contribute to shrinking the United States’ soft-power influence around the world. The Trump administration dismantled USAID, a key agency in this endeavor, in March.
The White House Budget for 2026 proposes ending the McGovern-Dole program, not just canceling its contracts, though in the past Congress has supported the program.
