Barragán Briefs: Food Security Bill Introduced, DOJ Pulls Extremism Study

Reps. Barragán and Bell Introduce the Food Assurance and Security Act

Washington, D.C.— Representatives Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) and Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) Nov. 21 introduced the Food Assurance and Security Act, legislation that reinstates and protects the federal government’s annual reporting on hunger and food insecurity in the United States. The bill requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in coordination with the Census Bureau, to maintain an interagency food security measurement program and publish comprehensive yearly data on household food insecurity—data that was halted under the Trump Administration after its historic cuts to SNAP. 

Last month, Rep. Barragán also sent a letter, joined by 21 other House Democrats, to USDA that urged the continuation of the food security report when the agency first announced its discontinuation. The letter also urged for immediate reinstatement of the agency researchers who were placed on non-disciplinary administrative leave who worked on the survey. 

“I am proud to co-lead this bill, which reinstates the annual food access report published by the USDA. The Trump administration ended this report right after they made the largest cuts to SNAP in history. This cannot be coincidence,” said Rep. Barragán. “Kicking hardworking Americans off SNAP means more people will be forced to go to food banks or shelters because basic groceries are too expensive. We cannot stand by and watch as the Trump Administration tries to hide the real harm of their cuts to food assistance by cancelling this report.”

SNAP has proven to reduce food insecurity and strengthen financial stability for young people building their futures. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to the Urban Institute, nearly three million young adults ages 18 to 24 are at risk of losing these benefits, as the law includes $186 billion in cuts to SNAP.

Details: Read the full bill text here. Read the full letter text here.

Dem. Senators Lead Letter to Call Out DOJ’s Quiet Removal of Study on Violent Right-Wing Domestic Terrorism

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last month, U.S. Representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) led a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi to express their strong concern over the Department of Justice’s  or DOJ removal of the National Institute of Justice or NIJ study “What NIJ Research Tells Us About Domestic Terrorism” from the DOJ website.

The letter urged the DOJ to provide an explanation for the removal of the study, disclose whether there was White House involvement, and clarify the Executive Orders used as the basis for DOJ’s review of websites and research materials.

The NIJ study concluded that violent acts committed by far-right extremists have outpaced those committed by far-left extremists or other groups. Yet, despite these findings, the Administration has publicly advanced false claims that “the Radical Left” is the primary driver of political violence.

The removal of the NIJ study, paired with misleading public claims, raises serious questions about whether DOJ is suppressing research in favor of partisan narratives. This comes as President Trump’s memorandum on domestic terrorism pledges to focus federal resources on “left-wing terrorism,” while dismissing experts who present contrary evidence.

Details: To view the full letter, click HERE.