[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 76 (Thursday, May 10, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING MATTHEW NIMS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2018

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a finalist for 
the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal in National Security and 
International Affairs, Mr. Matthew Nims. Presented by the Partnership 
for Public Service, the Service to America Medals--or the Sammies--are 
highly respected honors to highlight excellence in our federal 
workforce. Nominees for the award must show a strong commitment to 
federal service, a significant accomplishment within their field that 
meets the needs of the American people, and excellence in customer 
service to citizens or other beneficiaries.
   Matthew Nims, the Acting Director for the Office of Food for Peace 
at the U.S. Agency for International Development, worked with his team 
to distribute $1.4 billion in emergency food assistance to 20 million 
people in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and Nigeria, who are threatened 
by violent conflicts every day and fighting famine. The efforts of Mr. 
Nims and his team have saved countless lives under harrowing 
conditions.
   With civil war, violence, and terrorism threatening vulnerable 
populations in those four countries, getting aid to people who are 
suffering is difficult. Matthew Nims did not let such conditions deter 
him. According to his colleagues, Mr. Nims was ``out in front, meeting 
with, informing, coordinating, and leading hundreds of USAID staff, 
others in government and our international partners to choose the right 
approaches, prioritize the most critical situations, and get food to 
people swiftly and efficiently when lives were at stake.''
   In South Sudan, for example, the economy was in a freefall, crime 
was rampant, travel was difficult, there were few functioning 
institutions, and some five million people were in need of food 
assistance. To function effectively under such conditions required Mr. 
Nims to assess the needs, ensure the safety of his team, find creative 
ways to deliver food, plan and manage the food distribution, and 
resolve the day-to-day challenges.
   As a former Peace Corps volunteer and USAID employee in Indonesia, 
Guyana, and Afghanistan, Mr. Nims has brought a unique perspective to 
his role in the Office of Food for Peace and sees his mission as quite 
simple: ``We work to keep people alive. When there are hungry people 
out there, we try to feed them.'' I ask my colleagues to join me in 
commending Matthew Nims for his work to distribute food assistance to 
20 million people in four countries who are fighting famine and other 
dangers, and in congratulating Mr. Nims for being a finalist for such a 
prestigious award.

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