[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2252 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 497
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2252
To require United States foreign assistance commodities to be made
available for their intended purposes before they expire.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 10, 2025
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Coons, Mr. Kaine, Ms.
Collins, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Kim, Mr. Bennet,
Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Booker, and Ms. Alsobrooks)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations
July 27, 2026
Reported by Mr. Risch, with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require United States foreign assistance commodities to be made
available for their intended purposes before they expire.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Saving Lives and Taxpayer
Dollars Act''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Congress finds the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Foreign assistance commodities, including
food, medicine, family planning products, and vaccines, provide
critical support to people who are recovering from the
aftermath of natural disasters, fleeing conflict or war,
residing in refugee camps, or living in developing communities
with limited access to health care.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) United States investments in global health
bolster economic growth for partner countries, produce returns
on investment for the United States economy, create an
estimated 600,000 jobs in the United States, and generated an
estimated $104,000,000,000 in economic activity during the 15-
year period between 2007 and 2022.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Reliable access to vaccines and medications,
including pre-exposure prophylaxis and antiretroviral drugs to
prevent the spread of HIV and vaccines to prevent the
transmission of communicable diseases such as polio and drug-
resistant tuberculosis, make everyone safer.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) United States food assistance benefits United
States farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses, while addressing
global food insecurity. United States farmers annually supply
an estimated 40 percent of all international food assistance,
which is valued at approximately $2,000,000,000.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) Greater access to family planning products and
services has the potential to prevent up to 30 percent of the
295,000 annual maternal deaths and save the lives of
approximately 1,400,000 children who are younger than 5 years
old.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) The voluntary destruction of foreign
assistance commodities intended for beneficiaries at risk of
food insecurity and famine, sexual violence, maternal and
infant death and disease is unethical and contrary to United
States interests and moral obligations.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON THE DESTRUCTION OF FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
PRODUCTS AND COMMODITIES.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Section 102 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2151-1) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(18) Perishable and nonperishable foreign
assistance commodities and products, including medicine,
vaccines, medical devices, food and food commodities that are
procured, managed, controlled, or held in warehouses, ships,
shipping containers, or any other storage facility, by the
United States Government or by a foreign assistance
implementing partner of the United States Government shall be
made available to intended beneficiaries, including through
donation, for their intended purpose and before the date on
which such commodities and products spoil or expire.'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(d)(1) In this subsection--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(A) the term `appropriate congressional
committees' means--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(i) the Committee on Foreign Relations
of the Senate;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(ii) the Committee on Appropriations of
the Senate;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iii) the Committee on Foreign Affairs
of the House of Representatives; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iv) the Committee on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(B) the term `commodity' means a product or
commodity referred to in subsection (b)(18).</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) If any commodity is in the possession or control of
a foreign assistance implementing partner of the United States, the
Secretary of State, the Secretary of Agriculture, or the Administrator
of the United States Agency for International Development, as
appropriate, shall release such funds as may be necessary, on an
expedited basis, to ensure the delivery or donation of the commodity to
intended beneficiaries before the applicable spoilage or expiration
date.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(3) No commodity may be destroyed unless every effort
has been made to sell, donate, or otherwise make available the
commodity, whichever is more likely to ensure the commodity will be
received and utilized by its intended beneficiaries, before the
applicable spoilage or expiration date.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(4)(A) Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of the Saving Lives and Taxpayer Dollars Act, and annually
thereafter, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
and the Secretary of Agriculture, as appropriate, shall submit a report
to the appropriate congressional committees that describes any
commodity that expired, spoiled, or was destroyed without delivery to
an intended beneficiary.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(B) The report required under subparagraph (A) shall
include, for each expired, spoiled, or destroyed commodity --</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(i) a description of all negotiations, planning,
and efforts to make the commodity available to intended
beneficiaries;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(ii) the reason the commodity was not made
available to intended beneficiaries;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iii) the purpose of the commodity and the
geographic locations of all intended beneficiaries of such
commodity;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(iv) the procured and market value of the
commodity; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(v) the cost incurred to destroy the
commodity.''.</DELETED>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Saving Lives and Taxpayer Dollars
Act''.
SEC. 2. ANNUAL COMMODITY LOSS REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter through December 31,
2030, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the head of the
relevant Federal department or agency responsible for administering
assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) or under the Food for Peace Act (Public Law 83-
480; 7 U.S.C. 1721 et seq) shall submit a report to the appropriate
congressional committees that describes any foreign assistance product
or commodity that, despite all reasonable efforts to prevent
contamination, spoilage, or expiration or, having reached the end of a
product's useful life under the laws of the United States or of the
recipient country, was destroyed during the reporting period.
(b) Contents.--The report required under subsection (a) shall
include, for each product or commodity that was contaminated, spoiled,
expired, or reached the end of its useful life and was destroyed--
(1) a description of the reasonable efforts made to prevent
waste and ensure the product or commodity reached the intended
beneficiaries;
(2) the reason the product or commodity could not be made
available to the intended beneficiaries, including a
description of any relevant domestic laws or regulations of the
intended beneficiary country that impeded or prohibited the
delivery, donation or sale of such product or commodity prior
to its spoilage, expiration date, or the date on which the
product reached the end of its useful life;
(3) the purpose of the product or commodity and the
geographic locations of the intended beneficiaries of such
product or commodity;
(4) the procured and market value of the products or
commodity; and
(5) the cost incurred to destroy the product or commodity,
as applicable.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate;
(B) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
of Representatives; and
(D) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Foreign assistance product or commodity.--The term
``foreign assistance product or commodity'' means any product
or commodity provided by the United States Government under
part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et
seq.) or under the Food for Peace Act (Public Law 83-480; 7
U.S.C. 1721 et seq.), including food, specialized nutrition
products, medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies and devices
that are procured, acquired, managed, controlled, or held in
warehouse, ships, shipping containers, or any other storage
facility, by the United States Government or an implementing
partner of the United States Government.
(3) Reporting period.--The term ``reporting period''
means--
(A) with respect to the initial report required
under subsection (a), the period beginning on the date
of the enactment of this Act and ending on the date on
which such report is submitted to the appropriate
congressional committees; and
(B) with respect to all subsequent reports required
under subsection (a), the period beginning on the day
after the date on which the prior report was submitted
pursuant to subsection (a) and ending on the date on
which the next report is submitted.
Calendar No. 497
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2252
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require United States foreign assistance commodities to be made
available for their intended purposes before they expire.
_______________________________________________________________________
July 27, 2026
Reported with an amendment