[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 88 (Monday, May 22, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H4417-H4418]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WORLD AT A CROSSROADS
(Ms. PLASKETT asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, as I stand here, our world stands at a
crossroads. As I stand here, 20 million stand at risk of starvation at
the hands of what has the potential to become the worst humanitarian
crisis since World War II: famine in South Sudan and impending famine
in northeast Nigeria, Somalia, and Yemen. Additional
[[Page H4418]]
funding is needed to avert the destabilization of entire regions and to
support refugees fleeing into neighboring countries.
Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of Members proposed that the
U.S. allocate $1 billion in emergency funding for famine response.
Thanks to those efforts, Congress pledged to provide $990 million in
emergency funding in fiscal year appropriations.
Foreign aid is an investment. It makes our country, and those
overseas fighting for us, dramatically safer. With leadership comes
responsibility. Providing aid is a moral imperative.
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