The origins of the Food Stamp Program trace to the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1933, which empowered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (UDSA) to make unprecedented interventions in food supply. The USDA became the nation’s largest purchaser of surplus agricultural goods, distributing the surplus to welfare providers, public schools, and other agencies who could, in turn, pass them on to hungry Americans. The surplus distribution program proved popular among producers and consumers alike, and it soon provided food to an estimated 11 million Americans. In 1939, the USDA expanded its distribution with a new direct-to-consumer program: food stamps.