[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 107 (Tuesday, July 5, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H4263-H4267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 2115
GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY ACT OF 2016
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(S. 1252) to authorize a comprehensive strategic approach for United
States foreign assistance to developing countries to reduce global
poverty and hunger, achieve food and nutrition security, promote
inclusive, sustainable, agriculturalled economic growth, improve
nutritional outcomes, especially for women and children, build
resilience among vulnerable populations, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 1252
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Global Food Security Act of
2016''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (referred to in this section as the
``FAO''), 805,000,000 people worldwide suffer from chronic
hunger. Hunger and malnutrition rob people of health and
productive lives and stunt the mental and physical
development of future generations.
(2) According to the January 2014 ``Worldwide Threat
Assessment of the US Intelligence Community''--
(A) the ``[l]ack of adequate food will be a destabilizing
factor in countries important to US national security that do
not have the financial or technical abilities to solve their
internal food security problems''; and
(B) ``[f]ood and nutrition insecurity in weakly governed
countries might also provide opportunities for insurgent
groups to capitalize on poor conditions, exploit
international food aid, and discredit governments for their
inability to address basic needs''.
(3) A comprehensive approach to sustainable food and
nutrition security should not only respond to emergency food
shortages, but should also address malnutrition, resilience
to food and nutrition insecurity, building the capacity of
poor, rural populations to improve their agricultural
productivity and incomes, removing institutional impediments
to agricultural development, value chain access and
efficiency, including processing and storage, enhancing
agribusiness development, access to markets and activities
that address the specific needs and barriers facing women and
small-scale producers, education, and collaborative research.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY OBJECTIVES; SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Statement of Policy Objectives.--It is in the national
interest of the United States to promote global food
security, resilience, and nutrition, consistent with national
food security investment plans, which is reinforced through
programs, activities, and initiatives that--
(1) place food insecure countries on a path toward self-
sufficiency and economic freedom through the coordination of
United States foreign assistance programs;
(2) accelerate inclusive, agricultural-led economic growth
that reduces global poverty, hunger, and malnutrition,
particularly among women and children;
(3) increase the productivity, incomes, and livelihoods of
small-scale producers, especially women, by working across
agricultural value chains, enhancing local capacity to manage
agricultural resources effectively and expanding producer
access to local and international markets;
(4) build resilience to food shocks among vulnerable
populations and households while reducing reliance upon
emergency food assistance;
(5) create an enabling environment for agricultural growth
and investment, including through the promotion of secure and
transparent property rights;
(6) improve the nutritional status of women and children,
with a focus on reducing child stunting, including through
the promotion of highly nutritious foods, diet
diversification, and nutritional behaviors that improve
maternal and child health;
(7) demonstrably meet, align with and leverage broader
United States strategies and investments in trade, economic
growth, national security, science and technology,
agriculture research and extension, maternal and child
health, nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene;
(8) continue to strengthen partnerships between United
States-based universities, including land-grant colleges, and
universities and institutions in target countries and
communities that build agricultural capacity; and
(9) ensure the effective use of United States taxpayer
dollars to further these objectives.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress
that the President, in providing assistance to implement the
Global Food Security Strategy, should--
(1) coordinate, through a whole-of-government approach, the
efforts of relevant Federal departments and agencies to
implement the Global Food Security Strategy;
(2) seek to fully utilize the unique capabilities of each
relevant Federal department and agency while collaborating
with and leveraging the contributions of other key
stakeholders; and
(3) utilize open and streamlined solicitations to allow for
the participation of a wide range of implementing partners
through the most appropriate procurement mechanisms, which
may include grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and
other instruments as necessary and appropriate.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives;
(E) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives; and
(F) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
[[Page H4264]]
(2) Feed the future innovation labs.--The term ``Feed the
Future Innovation Labs'' means research partnerships led by
United States universities that advance solutions to reduce
global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.
(3) Food and nutrition security.--The term ``food and
nutrition security'' means access to, and availability,
utilization, and stability of, sufficient food to meet
caloric and nutritional needs for an active and healthy life.
(4) Global food security strategy.--The term ``Global Food
Security Strategy'' means the strategy developed and
implemented pursuant to section 5(a).
(5) Key stakeholders.--The term ``key stakeholders'' means
actors engaged in efforts to advance global food security
programs and objectives, including--
(A) relevant Federal departments and agencies;
(B) national and local governments in target countries;
(C) other bilateral donors;
(D) international and regional organizations;
(E) international, regional, and local financial
institutions;
(F) international, regional, and local private voluntary,
nongovernmental, faith-based, and civil society
organizations;
(G) the private sector, including agribusinesses and
relevant commodities groups;
(H) agricultural producers, including farmer organizations,
cooperatives, small-scale producers, and women; and
(I) agricultural research and academic institutions,
including land-grant universities and extension services.
(6) Malnutrition.--The term ``malnutrition'' means poor
nutritional status caused by nutritional deficiency or
excess.
(7) Relevant federal departments and agencies.--The term
``relevant Federal departments and agencies'' means the
United States Agency for International Development, the
Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the
Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, the
Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Overseas Private
Investment Corporation, the Peace Corps, the Office of the
United States Trade Representative, the United States African
Development Foundation, the United States Geological Survey,
and any other department or agency specified by the President
for purposes of this section.
(8) Resilience.--The term ``resilience'' means the ability
of people, households, communities, countries, and systems to
mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses to
food security in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability
and facilitates inclusive growth.
(9) Small-scale producer.--The term ``small-scale
producer'' means farmers, pastoralists, foresters, and
fishers that have a low asset base and limited resources,
including land, capital, skills and labor, and, in the case
of farmers, typically farm on fewer than 5 hectares of land.
(10) Stunting.--The term ``stunting'' refers to a condition
that--
(A) is measured by a height-to-age ratio that is more than
2 standard deviations below the median for the population;
(B) manifests in children who are younger than 2 years of
age;
(C) is a process that can continue in children after they
reach 2 years of age, resulting in an individual being
``stunted'';
(D) is a sign of chronic malnutrition; and
(E) can lead to long-term poor health, delayed motor
development, impaired cognitive function, and decreased
immunity.
(11) Sustainable.--The term ``sustainable'' means the
ability of a target country, community, implementing partner,
or intended beneficiary to maintain, over time, the programs
authorized and outcomes achieved pursuant to this Act.
(12) Target country.--The term ``target country'' means a
developing country that is selected to participate in
agriculture and nutrition security programs under the Global
Food Security Strategy pursuant to the selection criteria
described in section 5(a)(2), including criteria such as the
potential for agriculture-led economic growth, government
commitment to agricultural investment and policy reform,
opportunities for partnerships and regional synergies, the
level of need, and resource availability.
SEC. 5. COMPREHENSIVE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY.
(a) Strategy.--The President shall coordinate the
development and implementation of a United States whole-of-
government strategy to accomplish the policy objectives set
forth in section 3(a), which shall--
(1) set specific and measurable goals, benchmarks,
timetables, performance metrics, and monitoring and
evaluation plans that reflect international best practices
relating to transparency, accountability, food and nutrition
security, and agriculture-led economic growth, consistent
with the policy objectives described in section 3(a);
(2) establish clear and transparent selection criteria for
target countries, communities, regions, and intended
beneficiaries of assistance;
(3) describe the methodology and criteria for the selection
of target countries;
(4) support and be aligned with country-owned agriculture,
nutrition, and food security policy and investment plans
developed with input from key stakeholders, as appropriate;
(5) support inclusive agricultural value chain development,
with small-scale producers, especially women, gaining greater
access to the inputs, skills, resource management capacity,
networking, bargaining power, financing, and market linkages
needed to sustain their long-term economic prosperity;
(6) support improvement of the nutritional status of women
and children, particularly during the critical first 1,000-
day window until a child reaches 2 years of age and with a
focus on reducing child stunting, through nutrition-specific
and nutrition-sensitive programs, including related water,
sanitation, and hygiene programs;
(7) facilitate communication and collaboration, as
appropriate, among local stakeholders in support of a multi-
sectoral approach to food and nutrition security, to include
analysis of the multiple underlying causes of malnutrition,
including lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation,
and hygiene;
(8) support the long-term success of programs by building
the capacity of local organizations and institutions in
target countries and communities;
(9) integrate resilience and nutrition strategies into food
security programs, such that chronically vulnerable
populations are better able to build safety nets, secure
livelihoods, access markets, and access opportunities for
longer-term economic growth;
(10) develop community and producer resilience to natural
disasters, emergencies, and natural occurrences that
adversely impact agricultural yield;
(11) harness science, technology, and innovation, including
the research and extension activities supported by relevant
Federal Departments and agencies and Feed the Future
Innovation Labs, or any successor entities;
(12) integrate agricultural development activities among
food insecure populations living in proximity to designated
national parks or wildlife areas into wildlife conservation
efforts, as necessary and appropriate;
(13) leverage resources and expertise through partnerships
with the private sector, farm organizations, cooperatives,
civil society, faith-based organizations, and agricultural
research and academic institutions;
(14) strengthen and expand collaboration between United
States universities, including public, private, and land-
grant universities, with higher education institutions in
target countries to increase their effectiveness and
relevance to promote agricultural development and innovation
through the creation of human capital, innovation, and
cutting edge science in the agricultural sector;
(15) seek to ensure that target countries and communities
respect and promote land tenure rights of local communities,
particularly those of women and small-scale producers;
(16) include criteria and methodologies for graduating
target countries and communities from assistance provided to
implement the Global Food Security Strategy as such countries
and communities meet the progress benchmarks identified
pursuant to section 8(b)(4); and
(17) demonstrably support the United States national
security and economic interest in the countries where
assistance is being provided.
(b) Coordination.--The President shall coordinate, through
a whole-of-government approach, the efforts of relevant
Federal departments and agencies in the implementation of the
Global Food Security Strategy by--
(1) establishing monitoring and evaluation systems,
coherence, and coordination across relevant Federal
departments and agencies;
(2) establishing linkages with other initiatives and
strategies of relevant Federal departments and agencies; and
(3) establishing platforms for regular consultation and
collaboration with key stakeholders and the appropriate
congressional committees.
(c) Strategy Submission.--
(1) In general.--Not later than October 1, 2016, the
President, in consultation with the head of each relevant
Federal department and agency, shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees the Global Food Security
Strategy required under this section, including a detailed
description of how the United States intends to advance the
objectives set forth in section 3(a) and the agency-specific
plans described in paragraph (2).
(2) Agency-specific plans.--The Global Food Security
Strategy shall include specific implementation plans from
each relevant Federal department and agency that describes--
(A) the anticipated contributions of the department or
agency, including technical, financial, and in-kind
contributions, to implement the Global Food Security
Strategy; and
(B) the efforts of the department or agency to ensure that
the activities and programs carried out pursuant to the
strategy are designed to achieve maximum impact and long-term
sustainability.
SEC. 6. ASSISTANCE TO IMPLEMENT THE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
STRATEGY.
(a) Food Shortages.--The President is authorized to carry
out activities pursuant to section 103, section 103A, title
XII of chapter 2 of part I, and chapter 4 of part II of the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151a, 2151a-1,
2220a et seq., and 2346 et seq.) to prevent or address food
shortages notwithstanding any other provision of law.
[[Page H4265]]
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary of State and the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development $1,000,600,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 and
2018 to carry out those portions of the Global Food Security
Strategy that relate to the Department of State and the
United States Agency for International Development,
respectively.
(c) Monitoring and Evaluation.--The President shall seek to
ensure that assistance to implement the Global Food Security
Strategy is provided under established parameters for a
rigorous accountability system to monitor and evaluate
progress and impact of the strategy, including by reporting
to the appropriate congressional committees and the public on
an annual basis.
SEC. 7. EMERGENCY FOOD SECURITY PROGRAM.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the crisis in Syria, which is characterized by acts of
terrorism and atrocities directed against civilians,
including mass murder, forced displacement, aerial
bombardment, ethnic and religious persecution, torture,
kidnapping, rape and sexual enslavement, has triggered one of
the most profound humanitarian crises of this century and
poses a direct threat to regional security and the national
security interests of the United States;
(2) it is in the national security interests of the United
States to respond to the needs of displaced Syrian persons
and the communities hosting such persons, including with food
assistance; and
(3) after four years of conflict in Syria and the onset of
other major humanitarian emergencies where, like Syria, the
provision of certain United States humanitarian assistance
has been particularly challenging, including the 2013 super-
typhoon in the Philippines, the 2014 outbreak of Ebola in
west Africa, the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, ongoing
humanitarian disasters in Yemen and South Sudan, and the
threat of a major El Nino event in 2016, United States
international disaster assistance has become severely
stressed.
(b) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the
United States, in coordination with other donors, regional
governments, international organizations, and international
financial institutions, to fully leverage, enhance, and
expand the impact and reach of available United States
humanitarian resources, including for food assistance, to
mitigate the effects of manmade and natural disasters by
utilizing innovative new approaches to delivering aid that
support affected persons and the communities hosting them,
build resilience and early recovery, and reduce opportunities
for waste, fraud, and abuse.
(c) Amendments to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.--
(1) Section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2292) is amended--
(A) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and
(B) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new
subsection:
``(c) Emergency Food Security Program.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to the limitations in section
492, and notwithstanding any other provision of this or any
other Act, the President is authorized to make available
emergency food assistance, including in the form of funds,
transfers, vouchers, and agricultural commodities (including
products derived from agricultural commodities) acquired
through local or regional procurement, to meet emergency food
needs arising from manmade and natural disasters.
``(2) Designation.--Funds made available under this
subsection shall be known as the `International Disaster
Assistance - Emergency Food Security Program'.''.
(2) Section 492 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2292a) is amended--
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ``$25,000,000 for the
fiscal year 1986 and $25,000,000 for the fiscal year 1987.''
and inserting ``$2,794,184,000 for each of fiscal years 2017
and 2018, of which up to $1,257,382,000 should be made
available to carry out section 491(c).''; and
(B) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new
subsections:
``(c) Amounts in Addition to Other Amounts.--Amounts
authorized to be appropriated pursuant to the authorizations
of appropriations under section 491(c) are in addition to
funds otherwise available for such purposes.
``(d) Flexibility.--
``(1) United states policy.--It is the policy of the United
States that the funds made available to carry out section 491
are intended to provide the President with the greatest
possible flexibility to address disaster-related needs as
they arise and to prepare for and reduce the impact of
natural and man-made disasters.
``(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
any amendments to applicable legal provisions contained in
this Act are not intended to limit such authorities.
``(e) Report.--Not later than March 1 of each fiscal year,
the President shall submit to the Committee on Foreign
Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate
and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report that
describes the activities undertaken by the President over the
course of the prior fiscal year pursuant to section 491(c),
including the amounts of assistance provided, intended
beneficiaries, monitoring and evaluation strategies,
anticipated outcomes, and, as practicable, actual
outcomes.''.
SEC. 8. REPORTS.
(a) Global Food Security Strategy Implementation Reports.--
Not later than 1 year and 2 years after the date of the
submission of the strategy required under section 5(c), the
President shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees reports that describe the status of the
implementation of the Global Food Security Strategy for 2017
and 2018, which shall--
(1) contain a summary of the Global Food Security Strategy
as an appendix;
(2) identify any substantial changes made in the Global
Food Security Strategy during the preceding calendar year;
(3) describe the progress made in implementing the Global
Food Security Strategy;
(4) identify the indicators used to establish benchmarks
and measure results over time, as well as the mechanisms for
reporting such results in an open and transparent manner;
(5) describe related strategies and benchmarks for
graduating target countries and communities from assistance
provided under the Global Food Security Strategy over time,
including by building resilience, reducing risk, and
enhancing the sustainability of outcomes from United States
investments in agriculture and nutrition security;
(6) indicate how findings from monitoring and evaluation
were incorporated into program design and budget decisions;
(7) contain a transparent, open, and detailed accounting of
spending by relevant Federal departments and agencies to
implement the Global Food Security Strategy, including, for
each Federal department and agency, the statutory source of
spending, amounts spent, implementing partners and targeted
beneficiaries, and activities supported to the extent
practicable and appropriate;
(8) describe how the Global Food Security Strategy
leverages other United States food security and development
assistance programs on the continuum from emergency food aid
through sustainable, agriculture-led economic growth and
eventual self-sufficiency;
(9) describe the contributions of the Global Food Security
Strategy to, and assess the impact of, broader international
food and nutrition security assistance programs, including
progress in the promotion of land tenure rights, creating
economic opportunities for women and small-scale producers,
and stimulating agriculture-led economic growth in target
countries and communities;
(10) assess efforts to coordinate United States
international food security and nutrition programs,
activities, and initiatives with key stakeholders;
(11) assess United States Government-facilitated private
investment in related sectors and the impact of private
sector investment in target countries and communities;
(12) identify any United States legal or regulatory
impediments that could obstruct the effective implementation
of the programming referred to in paragraphs (8) and (9);
(13) contain a clear gender analysis of programming, to
inform project-level activities, that includes established
disaggregated gender indicators to better analyze outcomes
for food productivity, income growth, control of assets,
equity in access to inputs, jobs and markets, and nutrition;
and
(14) incorporate a plan for regularly reviewing and
updating strategies, partnerships, and programs and sharing
lessons learned with a wide range of stakeholders in an open,
transparent manner.
(b) Global Food Security Crosscut Report.--Not later than
120 days after the President submits the budget to Congress
under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall submit
to the appropriate congressional committees a report
including--
(1) an interagency budget crosscut report that--
(A) displays the budget proposed, including any planned
interagency or intra-agency transfer, for each of the
principal Federal agencies that carries out global food
security activities in the upcoming fiscal year, separately
reporting the amount of planned funding to be provided under
existing laws pertaining to the global food security strategy
to the extent available; and
(B) to the extent available, identifies all assistance and
research expenditures at the account level in each of the
five prior fiscal years by the Federal Government and United
States multilateral commitments using Federal funds for
global food security strategy activities;
(2) to the extent available, a detailed accounting of all
assistance funding received and obligated by the principal
Federal agencies identified in the report and United States
multilateral commitments using Federal funds, for global food
security activities during the current fiscal year; and
(3) a breakout of the proposed budget for the current and
budget years by agency, categorizing expenditures by type of
funding, including research, resiliency, and other food
security activities to the extent that such information is
available.
(c) Public Availability of Information.--The information
referred to in subsections (a) and (b) shall be made
available on the public website of the United States Agency
for International Development in an open,
[[Page H4266]]
machine readable format, in a timely manner.
SEC. 9. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
(a) Effect on Other Programs.--Nothing in the Global Food
Security Strategy or this Act or the amendments made by this
Act shall be construed to supersede or otherwise affect the
authority of the relevant Federal departments and agencies to
carry out programs specified in subsection (b), in the manner
provided, and subject to the terms and conditions, of those
programs, including, but not limited to, the terms,
conditions, and requirements relating to the procurement and
transportation of food assistance furnished pursuant to such
programs.
(b) Programs Described.--The programs referred to in
subsection (a) are the following:
(1) The Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.).
(2) The Food for Progress Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1736o).
(3) Section 416(b) of the Agriculture Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C.
1431).
(4) McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program (7
U.S.C.1736o-1).
(5) Local and Regional Procurement Program (7 U.S.C.
1726c).
(6) Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act (7 U.S.C. 1736f-1).
(7) Any other food and nutrition security and emergency and
non-emergency food assistance program of the Department of
Agriculture.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
any extraneous material in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Global Food Security
Act.
The Global Food Security Act, led by Representatives Smith and
McCollum, establishes very clear priorities for and enhances the
transparency of existing, yet unauthorized, food security and disaster
assistance programs.
What this does is it authorizes, for the first time in 30 years,
International Disaster Assistance, the essential humanitarian account
that provides everything from tents and sheeting to water and medicine
for people afflicted by conflict and hit by natural disasters around
the globe.
It authorizes, for the first time, the Emergency Food Security
Program, which is the flexible, efficient, and effective food aid
program that helps refugees when and where they need it most so they
won't be forced to seek refuge in Europe or beyond.
Finally, with an eye toward the future, it advances policies which
will improve food security, stimulate economic growth, and better
enable people to grow their own way out of poverty so they will no
longer have to depend upon U.S. foreign assistance. It does this
without increasing spending, Mr. Speaker.
The legislation before us is the product of more than 3 years of
careful deliberation and inclusive negotiations. The Foreign Affairs
Committee has held multiple hearings on food security. We marked and
reported not one, but two earlier versions, H.R. 5656 and H.R. 1567.
The House passed each of these bills with broad bipartisan support. I
want to thank our ranking member, Mr. Eliot Engel of New York, for his
assistance in all of this work.
This bill, S. 1252, maintains all of the provisions the House
previously approved, while filling a critical gap. By adding
International Disaster Assistance and the Emergency Food Security
Program, S. 1252 brings the bill full cycle and enables Congress to
conduct effective oversight of the full range of international food
security programs from disaster to resilience, to development, to
trade. At the same time, it adds even more transparency requirements so
that we can eliminate duplication and we can eliminate the waste.
So I want to thank Mr. Smith also for his leadership on this
important legislation, and I urge Members to help get it to the
President's desk without further delay.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this measure. I am very
proud that we are about to take our final step on the Global Food
Security Act and send it to the President's desk.
I want to thank Representatives Smith and McCollum for their hard
work on this issue here in the House, as well as Senators Casey and
Corker for steering this effort in the other body. I also want to thank
our chairman, Ed Royce, as always, for his leadership. This is another
great example of bipartisan, commonsense cooperation on foreign policy
issues.
Mr. Speaker, nearly 800 million people around the world live without
the certainty that their families will have enough to eat. When
children don't make it to the age of 5, half the time it is because of
malnutrition. That is just heartbreaking. There is more than enough
food on this planet to feed everyone. The idea that so many are
starving is simply unconscionable.
It is also a major roadblock for countries and communities. Underfed
populations are less productive and more vulnerable to disease. Without
reliable access to food, it is much harder for a country to achieve
stability and prosperity. So we have an interest--and a moral
obligation--in trying to tackle this problem as part of our foreign
policy.
This bill places a special priority on foreign assistance programs
that aim to reduce global poverty and hunger. It also authorizes a
robust investment in the Obama administration's signature Feed the
Future initiative as well as other State Department and USAID efforts
dealing with global hunger.
This bill has moved forward with tremendous bipartisan support, and I
am glad to cast one final vote for it today. I support this bill. I
urge my colleagues to do the same. I thank Chairman Royce once again.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 8 minutes to the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Conaway), chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, for the
purpose of a colloquy.
Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
The rule of construction under section 9 affirms that nothing in this
act, or amendments made by this act, will supersede or otherwise affect
the authority of a relevant Federal department or agency to carry out a
number of vital international food aid programs, including Food for
Peace, Food for Progress, USDA's Local and Regional Food Aid
Procurement Program, the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Program, the
McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition
Program, or any other emergency or non-emergency food aid program of
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Is it the gentleman from California's understanding that this rule of
construction applies equally to all parts of the bill, including
section 7, which authorizes an Emergency Food Security Program, or
EFSP?
I yield to the gentleman from California for his response.
Mr. ROYCE. That is correct. The rule of construction under section 9
of the Global Food Security Act--which was carefully negotiated with
the chairman of the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture, the
House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations--applies equally to all parts of the bill. This includes
section 7, which authorizes the existing International Disaster
Assistance-funded Emergency Food Security Program.
Mr. CONAWAY. Reclaiming my time, is it also the gentleman's
understanding that the ``notwithstanding authority'' granted to the
Emergency Food Security Program will not in any way affect the existing
requirements under the Food for Peace Act, including requirements
relating to the purchase and shipment of U.S. agriculture commodities
under this act?
I yield to the gentleman.
Mr. ROYCE. Correct. The committee has conferred with the Government
Accountability Office and received its confirmation that
``notwithstanding authority'' cannot migrate to other provisions of
law.
For example, funds provided to carry out the Food for Peace Act are
subject
[[Page H4267]]
to the requirements of the Food for Peace Act and funds provided to
carry out the International Disaster Assistance/Emergency Food Security
Program are subject to the requirements of the Foreign Assistance Act.
Neither the funds nor the authorities for these programs are
interchangeable.
Mr. CONAWAY. Reclaiming my time, does the committee chairman agree
that the Food for Peace program, which is wholly separate from the bill
we are debating on the floor today, is vital to U.S. efforts to respond
to emergencies and alleviate global hunger? Does the gentleman also
agree that the provision of U.S. agriculture commodities through the
Food for Peace program has saved millions of lives, and that the U.S.
agriculture commodities must remain a significant part of U.S.
international food aid programs?
I yield to the gentleman.
Mr. ROYCE. Yes. Through the Food for Peace program, the United States
has reached more than a billion people around the globe in times of
need, reducing poverty and improving food security in the process.
American farmers are rightfully proud of this legacy. Unfortunately,
ever-growing world crises have stressed our international food aid,
leading us to look to new approaches that will help us stretch our food
aid dollars further and, ultimately, save more lives.
The Global Food Security Act authorizes one of these approaches--the
International Disaster Assistance/Emergency Food Security Program--to
provide electronic transfers, vouchers, and locally procured food to
help desperate people meet their needs in the wake of disasters or war.
This program is meant to complement, not replace, time-tested
approaches to delivering food aid, including the Food for Peace
program. Like the gentleman from Texas, I have had an opportunity to
see how the Emergency Food Security Program works in places like
Jordan, where humanitarian organizations are working to meet the needs
of Syrian refugees.
While the world may be changing rapidly, one thing will never change:
the American farmer will always play a significant role in promoting
food security at home and abroad. U.S. agricultural commodities will
always be in demand and will always remain a part of the Food for Peace
program. While the two of us may differ on the specific degree to which
they should be, I have no doubt that this principle will be reflected
in the next farm bill.
In the meantime, I would like to thank the gentleman from Texas for
his continued leadership on this issue, including his efforts to ensure
that the vast expertise and experience of the U.S. agriculture
community will be fully leveraged through the Global Food Security Act.
I look forward to continuing our close collaboration on these important
matters, and I appreciate his support for this important legislation.
Mr. CONAWAY. Reclaiming my time, I appreciate the gentleman from
California for his continued work on this important matter,
particularly his recognition of the crucial role that the Agriculture
Committee must play in any global food security strategy.
As he rightly points out, programs like EFSP should be used in tandem
with the time-tested Food for Peace program. It should not serve as a
step towards eliminating the donation of U.S. commodities abroad.
I look forward to closely monitoring the progress of this strategy
and developing a better understanding of how our foreign assistance
dollars are being used.
I thank the gentleman for his extended colloquy and patience with the
Committee on Agriculture's concerns with the bill. I thank him for that
consideration and I look forward to supporting this bill.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I am reminded of the proverb, ``If you give a man a
fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him
for the rest of his life.''
That is the aim of our food assistance efforts. We want to help
populations to feed themselves. We want to get at the root causes of
poverty and malnutrition. We want to help build strong, sustainable
communities that contribute to stability and prosperity in their
countries, across regions, and around the world.
We need to invest in the initiatives that have made a difference.
That is what we are doing here by authorizing strong support for Feed
the Future and working to ramp up other foreign assistance efforts
focusing on food aid.
This is a good bill. This is Congress at its best. This is
bipartisanship at its best. I am glad we are sending it to the
President's desk. This was done, really, as a collaborative effort by
both sides of the aisle. I thank my colleagues again for their good
work on this, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the link between conflict and hunger is undeniable. Mr.
Engel and I recently traveled to Sub-Saharan Africa to a drought-
stricken region, Ethiopia, where more than 10.2 million people are on
the verge of what I would designate as ``starvation,'' yet no one
really used that word or used the word ``famine'' because of the
concern that it might provoke a coup.
{time} 2130
But the reality is that this is the situation on the ground. And at
the same time, massive humanitarian disasters in Syria and Yemen, in
South Sudan, have sparked these massive refugee flows. They threaten
regional security. All told, there are currently 800 million people
suffering from chronic hunger, and over 60 million people displaced by
conflict, who desperately need our help.
It is in our national security and economic interest to help address
these needs, to meet humanitarian needs while supporting the growth of
healthier, more stable societies through cost-effective programs that
promote agriculture-led economic growth, that open markets for U.S.
investment and trade, that promote food and nutrition security, and,
ultimately, that break the cycle of dependence on aid. The Global Food
Security Act can help.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 1252.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. MASSIE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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