The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers 15 domestic food and nutrition assistance programs that together affect the lives of millions of people. Accounting for $98.6 billion, or over two-thirds of USDA’s annual budget, these programs also represent a significant Federal investment. This report uses preliminary data from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to examine trends in U.S. food and nutrition assistance programs through fiscal year 2017 (October 1, 2016, to September 30, 2017). It also summarizes two recent Economic Research Service (ERS) reports: one that examines trends in the prevalence and severity of household food insecurity in the United States through 2016 and another that examines the contribution of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to household food spending.