Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to reduce global hunger and continue the United States’ worldwide leadership in combatting food insecurity as Russia’s war on Ukraine imperils global food supply chains. The Global Food Security Reauthorization Act would reauthorize the nation’s Feed the Future hunger and agriculture initiative through 2028, improve food aid oversight, and require the Biden administration to develop a whole-of-government strategy to address global food challenges. Feed the Future is an initiative led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to combat global food insecurity. The program addresses the root causes of hunger and poverty by boosting agriculture-led growth and nutrition in countries with great need and opportunity for improvement.
“As dictators like Vladimir Putin seek to use hunger as a weapon, we must make sure that people have access to basic food and nutrition, regardless of the country or continent they live in,” said Senator King. “It’s imperative the United States helps people around the world access nutritious meals. The Global Food Security Reauthorization Act would strengthen our international leadership and global stability by building on the successful Feed the Future program that provides critical support for countries to develop agriculture and improve nutrition. I’m grateful for the broad bipartisan support the bill has already received, and hope we can get it passed for the sake of all the world’s most vulnerable communities.”
The Global Food Security Act was first passed into law in 2016 and is set to expire in 2023. The bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Senator King is currently expected to be included as an amendment in the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act, and would extend the law for another five years. The bill also:
- Requires the Administration to develop a whole-of-government strategy to address global food insecurity and hunger. The strategy would emphasize agricultural development, improving maternal and child nutrition, building the resilience of communities, and civil society engagement.
- Ensures the alignment of U.S. assistance with country-owned strategies to enhance agricultural productivity, household income, local economies, and food and nutrition security to work toward the ultimate goal of transitioning countries and communities away from the need for U.S. assistance under this Act.
- Improves upon existing monitoring and evaluation practices to ensure the effective use of U.S. taxpayer dollars.
- Requires that the Administration report to Congress and to the American people annually about the strategy, its results and the use of foreign assistance funds.
- Authorizes appropriations through 2028 to carry out international development assistance programs and activities under the strategy.
Senator King has been a vocal advocate for the need to improve food security. As COVID-19 closed schools in the pandemic, Senator King co-sponsored the bipartisan Keep Kids Fed Act to make sure students who rely on school nutrition programs could access nutritious meals throughout the summer. King also introduced the bipartisan Support Kids Not Red Tape Act to extend the critical COVID-19 food waiver program to September 30, 2023 and the DELIVER Act to support volunteer initiatives within meal delivery programs.