[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 139 (Wednesday, October 7, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11692-S11693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         ALLEVIATING INTERNATIONAL FAMINE WITH AMERICAN SURPLUS

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President. Today I address an issue of extreme 
importance to both citizens of the United States, and people around the 
globe.
  It is not often that we have the opportunity to help those in other 
countries and Americans at the same time. I believe that one of these 
occasions presents itself now.
  In every area of the world, there are men, women and children in 
desperate need of food. Some of them are refugees from wars and other 
forms of political violence. Some of them are displaced because 
droughts or floods have interfered with their ability to grow food and 
destroyed their homes. Others are simply too poor to be able to afford 
the tools and seeds necessary to plant crops.
  This year has been particularly difficult in a variety of places. 
Most recently, hurricane Georges has ravaged the Caribbean. Nations 
such as Haiti, where the population is barely able to feed itself, and 
the Dominican Republic have been heavily damaged by the storm's 
onslaught.
  Countries in Eastern Europe are experiencing food shortages. Winter 
is coming to Kosovo, where the Serbian Special Police and Yugoslavian 
army continue a terrorist policy that has destroyed more that three 
hundred villages, and driven more than 300,000 ethnic Albanians from 
their homes, with an estimated 50,000 forced into forests and 
mountains. With good reason, these people are afraid to return to the 
villages which have been destroyed and vandalized by the Serbian army. 
They have left the only means they have of supporting themselves 
behind. As a result, if we in the international community do not help 
them, they will not be able to feed themselves.
  Russia faces a sharp decrease in agricultural production, due to 
drought and other poor weather conditions. Approximately twenty-five 
percent of farmland was damaged. Consequently, this year's harvest will 
be Russia's worst in four decades. Collective farms have harvested only 
a little over half the amount of grain in this year's harvest as they 
did in 1997. The potato crop, one of Russia's staples, is down 
significantly due to potato blight.
  The Asian economic crisis is having a significant impact on the 
ability of those states to feed themselves. Indonesia, with its current 
financial turmoil is in need of food. Asian countries which normally 
import American commodities are unable to do so this year, exacerbating 
our farmers' woes.
  The situation in North Korea remains grave. Floods, droughts and 
other natural disasters in the past four years have left many without 
the ability to feed themselves. Malnutrition and related diseases are 
common throughout the land. One million people have died in North Korea 
over the past two years.
  Due to climactic conditions and political unrest, there are many in 
need in Africa. In Sudan alone, experts have indicated that as many as 
2.6 million people may go hungry. Mozambique is facing a food crisis 
which will affect 300,000 people until April of next year. In the 
northern portions of Sierra Leone, thousands of internally displaced 
people will face hunger, if not starvation, unless they are provided 
with aid.
  Here in the United States we face a challenge of a different sort. 
Far from suffering from a lack of food, American farmers are producing 
an abundance. Unfortunately, U.S. agricultural exports are expected to 
decline 4.6 percent from projected 1998 levels, mainly because of the 
collapse of global markets.
  One third of the family farmers in this country may go out of 
business in the next several years, with net farm income projected to 
decrease by $7.5 billion in 1998. We have the food. All we are lacking 
is strong markets to buy what we are producing.
  Common sense tells us that it is time to bring together our 
oversupply of domestic agricultural products and the growing 
international need for food aid. One way to do that is to increase 
shipments of U.S. agricultural products to countries in need.
  In July of this year, the President took steps to do just that, 
creating the Food Aid Initiative. This initiative directs the 
Department of Agriculture to purchase 80 million bushels of grain for 
distribution to poor countries overseas. The Secretary of Agriculture 
announced the first disbursement of wheat and wheat flour under the 
Initiative to the World Food Program on September 15th. I applaud the 
Administration's creation of this Initiative. The potential of this 
program in combination with other U.S. food assistance programs to 
provide relief to hungry people is great, and I support the President's 
efforts.
  However, we can and should do more. To begin with, the list of 
countries that the administration has targeted through the Initiative 
should be expanded. Last week I wrote to Secretary of State Madeleine 
Albright, Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and Brian Atwood, the 
Administrator of the Agency of International Development. In those 
letters, I indicated among other things, that threatened food shortages 
in Kosovo and Russia must not go unaddressed.
  Not only must we be sure that more countries are being given much 
needed food, we must be assured that those who are hungry are actually 
receiving the food. Unfortunately, in some instances, access to food 
donations is prevented by people in needy nations who either want the 
food themselves, wish to profit from victims of famine or wish to 
control the needy population by denying them life's most basic 
necessities.
  In addition to donating to more countries, we should donate more 
food. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, in the 
United States today there is a surplus of 6.3 million metric tons or 
233 million bushels of wheat. There are several programs through which 
we can help solve both our domestic and our international problems.
  The first is the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 
1954, commonly referred to as P.L. 480, Food for Peace. This 
legislation contains three food aid titles. Title One's objective is to 
make it easier for lesser developed countries to buy American 
commodities. To this end, commodities are sold to certain countries for 
US dollars on concessional credit terms.
  Title Two is the Emergency and Private Assistance Programs. This is

[[Page S11693]]

where the bulk of our humanitarian donations in the form of food aid 
come from. This year Title Two was funded at the level that the 
president requested. Unfortunately, given the number of humanitarian 
disasters that we are currently facing, this may not be enough. It is 
my hope that the President will ask for more money for this program.
  Title Three is the Food for Development Program, under which 
government to government grants are provided to support the long-term 
development efforts of those countries that are attempting improve 
their economic outlooks.
  The second program through which we can help address the domestic and 
overseas challenges we are facing is Section 416(b) of the Agricultural 
Act of 1949. Through Section 416(b), commodities held by the 
Commodities Credit Corporation can be donated overseas. This is the 
program through which the President ordered the purchase of $250 
million of wheat in July.
  The Food for Progress Act of 1985 is the third program the United 
States can utilize to address both the American farm crises and dire 
international need. Food for Progress provides commodities either 
purchased with funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation, or through 
P.L. 480 or Section 416(b), as donations to countries that are 
committing to the increase of free enterprise practices in their 
agricultural sectors.
  I strongly support an aggressive funding of these programs, and have 
urged the administration to be aggressive in its requests to the 
Congress as it evaluates the increasing needs overseas and the 
opportunity to assist our farmers here at home. If we diligently pursue 
all of our options through current law, I believe that we can help 
alleviate two very significant and pressing problems. The overabundance 
of agricultural commodities plaguing American farmers, and the lack of 
food for starving millions abroad.
  I urge my colleagues in Congress consider the full range of resources 
and programs at our disposal to help end the dilemma facing the farmers 
of our nation. Implementing a solution to this problem will require 
that we use all of the creativity and energy that we have. Every day 
brings us closer to real crises not only in our farm economy, but also 
in countries important to our national interest.
  Such aid is not only clearly in our interest. It would reflect our 
highest values by preventing the widespread hunger and suffering of 
men, women and children who had no hand in the tragedies that have 
befallen their countries.
  Again, I urge my colleagues to give this issue prompt and serious 
attention. I thank the chair and yield the floor.

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