[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 206 (Monday, December 7, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H6869-H6872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINED UNITED STATES LEADERSHIP TO 
  ACCELERATING GLOBAL PROGRESS AGAINST MATERNAL AND CHILD MALNUTRITION

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 189) recognizing the importance of sustained United 
States leadership to accelerating global progress against maternal and 
child malnutrition and supporting United States Agency for 
International Development's commitment to global nutrition through its 
multi-sectoral nutrition strategy, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 189

       Whereas 151 million children under the age of 5 in the 
     world--22 percent--are stunted, or chronically 
     undernourished, and in countries highly affected by 
     undernutrition, stunting affects 1 in every 3 children;
       Whereas wasting, or acute malnutrition, continues to 
     threaten the lives of an estimated 7.5 percent or nearly 51 
     million children under the age of 5 globally, and more than 
     38 million children under the age of 5 are overweight;
       Whereas malnutrition directly or indirectly causes 45 
     percent of all deaths--2.6 million--of children under age 5 
     annually and puts those who survive at risk of impaired brain 
     development, lower IQ, weakened immune systems, and greater 
     risk of serious diseases;
       Whereas undernourished adolescent girls have impaired 
     cognitive ability and productivity and their future babies 
     are at increased risk for low birth weight and death;
       Whereas iron deficiency anemia, associated with 
     undernutrition, contributes to 1 in 5 maternal deaths (or 20 
     percent of maternal mortality);
       Whereas poor maternal nutrition contributes to poor fetal 
     development and low birth weight, and an estimated 60 to 80 
     percent of neonatal deaths occur in low birth weight babies;
       Whereas a large body of scientific evidence supports the 
     benefits of improved breastfeeding practices on the short-
     term and long-term health and development of children and 
     their mothers;
       Whereas a growing evidence base demonstrates that reducing 
     maternal and child malnutrition, especially in the critical 
     1,000 days between pregnancy and age 2, is imperative to 
     ending preventable maternal and child deaths, improving 
     cognitive and physical development, and strengthening 
     children's immune systems to bolster resistance to disease;
       Whereas leading economists and Nobel Laureates have 
     identified improving child nutrition as the most cost-
     effective way to enhance global health and development;
       Whereas the United States Agency for International 
     Development's Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy's approach 
     addresses both direct and underlying causes of malnutrition, 
     and its focus on linking humanitarian assistance with 
     development programming helps build resilience to shocks in 
     vulnerable communities;
       Whereas malnutrition is a universal issue that no country 
     in the world can afford to overlook, and countries with high 
     burdens of malnutrition, including stunting, wasting, anemia, 
     and micronutrient deficiency, will struggle to achieve 
     sustainable and equitable economic growth;
       Whereas the United States plays a lead role supporting the 
     goals of Scaling Up Nutrition, a global movement of 60 
     countries to prioritize nutrition, particularly during the 
     1,000-day window of opportunity between a mother's pregnancy 
     and her child's second birthday, through effective policy and 
     dedicated national resources; and
       Whereas the world has reduced undernutrition since 1990, 
     yet global progress has been too slow to ensure each child 
     can attain a full and prosperous future regardless of where 
     he or she was born and at the current pace, the global 
     community will not reach its global nutrition targets set for 
     2025: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) reaffirms that--
       (A) food security and good nutrition in early childhood 
     saves lives and lays the foundation for healthy physical and 
     cognitive growth and development;
       (B) the potential benefit of good nutrition is life-long 
     and influences a child's entire future, with entire 
     communities and nations ultimately prospering;
       (C) the right nutrition helps children learn, helps protect 
     them from illness, increases their productivity and earning 
     potential, and supports the well-being and health of their 
     future offspring; and
       (D) women who are well-nourished and do not suffer from 
     anemia are less likely to die in childbirth and to give birth 
     to children who are malnourished, breaking the 
     intergenerational cycle of malnutrition;
       (2) reaffirms that--
       (A) good nutrition is also an economic issue central to 
     reducing poverty and putting countries on path to economic 
     development;
       (B) adults who were well-nourished as children earn up to 
     46 percent more than those who were malnourished;
       (C) countries with a very high burden of early childhood 
     malnutrition have lower economic growth rates due to lost 
     income and productivity; and
       (D) the cost to nations is substantial with Gross Domestic 
     Product (GDP) losses estimated between 3 to 16 percent with 
     overall potential impacts to the global economy as high as 
     $3.5 trillion per year;
       (3) supports United States leadership in helping developing 
     countries meet the nutritional needs of women and children, 
     and supports continued efforts;
       (4) supports United States Agency for International 
     Development's (USAID) recognition that nutrition 
     interventions are among the lifesaving interventions that can 
     have the greatest impact in ending preventable child and 
     maternal deaths;
       (5) supports the use of the USAID Multi-Sectoral Nutrition 
     Strategy, the United States Government Global Nutrition 
     Coordination Plan, and the Global Food Security Strategy as 
     platforms through which to help reach global nutrition 
     targets by 2025, as agreed to at the World Health Assembly in 
     2012;
       (6) acknowledges the vision and goals of the Scaling Up 
     Nutrition movement as a

[[Page H6870]]

     global partnership to support country-led efforts to improve 
     maternal and child nutrition involving governments, civil 
     society, the United Nations, donors, businesses, and 
     researchers;
       (7) acknowledges that progress against global malnutrition 
     must be accelerated using innovative, scaled-up approaches to 
     improve the systems that affect the nutritional status of 
     women and children; and
       (8) calls for transformative efforts across sectors at 
     USAID--
       (A) to accelerate progress to end maternal and child 
     malnutrition, including through Country Development 
     Cooperation Strategies that align with country's national 
     nutrition plans; and
       (B) to include improved and clear methods to track 
     nutrition funding and outcomes across all United States 
     Government global nutrition programs, especially those in 
     global health, food security, agriculture, basic education, 
     food assistance, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H. Res. 189.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, malnutrition is a devastating crisis across the world 
with far-reaching effects. People cannot lead full, healthy, productive 
lives without access to food and proper nutrition, especially in the 
early stages of life. The impacts of malnutrition extend from health 
challenges like child stunting and infant mortality to reduced economic 
productivity that can keep communities and countries from achieving 
greater prosperity.

                              {time}  1245

  That is why we cannot afford to have our international development 
programs look at malnutrition as an isolated problem. To tackle this 
crisis, particularly as we continue to grapple with the coronavirus 
pandemic, we also have to address related economic, educational, 
health, and social issues.
  This good resolution, authored by Representative Marshall, outlines 
the importance of continued American leadership in the fight against 
global malnutrition and underscores the significance of USAID's work on 
this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support it, and I urge my colleagues to 
do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, all of us in this Chamber probably grew up with a mother 
telling us to eat our vegetables. As a father myself, I have very 
strong memories of chasing several of my children around the house, 
trying to get healthy food into their mouths. That is because, as we 
know, a child's growth and development is severely impacted when they 
don't have proper nutrition.
  Unfortunately, today, over 151 million children under the age of 5--
babies, really--suffer from chronic malnutrition. That is truly a 
shocking and disturbing number. Over the last three decades, there has 
been important progress to reduce chronic malnutrition around the 
world, but, clearly, much more must be done.
  That is why I am proud to be here today to offer my support for this 
resolution, introduced by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Marshall), 
which calls for increased efforts to end maternal and child 
malnutrition.
  The United States has always been a leader when it comes to 
addressing maternal and child malnutrition. We must continue our 
leadership role in this important endeavor.
  The USAID multi-sectoral nutrition strategy is an important effort to 
ensure that nutrition interventions are effective in reaching the most 
vulnerable populations.
  I want to thank the chairman, and I want to thank my colleagues, 
Representatives Marshall and McGovern, for leading this important 
resolution and bringing this to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, malnutrition around the world devastates the lives of 
millions of people and prevents communities from prospering. This 
problem has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, putting years of 
work on nutrition at risk.
  It is critical that the United States work to make even greater 
progress on this major humanitarian and developmental challenge. This 
resolution reaffirms the importance of American leadership in that 
mission.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support it, and I urge my colleagues to 
do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Marshall), the sponsor of this resolution.
  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, as a physician and obstetrician, I 
represent one of the largest agriculture-producing districts in the 
country. I am proud to help lead H. Res. 189, a critical resolution 
addressing the health and development of children around the world and 
a role the United States must continue to play to improve maternal and 
child nutrition.
  Every year, malnutrition accounts for half of all deaths among 
children under the age of 5. Nearly a quarter of the world's children 
are stunted, both physically and mentally, due to malnutrition. This 
leads to long-term poor health and impaired brain development.
  Mr. Speaker, food is medicine. The 1,000 days stretching from 
conception, from the start of a mother's pregnancy, until the child 
turns 2, is critical to increasing child survival, strengthening the 
immune system to bolster disease resistance, and improving the child's 
ability to grow, learn, and live to their fullest potential.
  Investments that focus on the first year of a child's life are among 
the best and most cost-effective investments that can be made to help 
achieve lasting progress in global health, economic prosperity, and 
development.
  The USDA and the USAID oversee America's longstanding commitment to 
reducing hunger and improving global food security. Our international 
feeding programs originated in my home State of Kansas, in Cheyenne 
County, when a group of farmers presented the idea of distributing 
food, rather than just funding, to countries to help their populations 
thrive.
  Programs like the USAID's Food for Peace and USDA's McGovern-Dole 
Food for Education provide basic humanitarian aid to families, women, 
and children worldwide and help our farmers and ranchers reach more 
markets for the high-quality commodities they produce. The U.S. exports 
about $140 billion worth of agricultural products each year, thanks to 
the hard work of farmers and their partnership with USDA and USAID.
  Not only are U.S. investments in nutrition efficient and effective, 
but U.S. nutrition programs also leverage other investments in foreign 
assistance, increasing the impact on improving health globally, which 
can lead to countries lessening their dependence on foreign aid and 
thriving economically.
  However, the COVID-19 outbreak threatens achievements made by many 
USDA and USAID programs due to restrictions to supply chains that are 
stressing food markets and placing people suffering from hunger on the 
brink of starvation.
  The cost of malnutrition to the global economy is estimated to be 
$3.5 trillion in healthcare costs and lost productivity every year, and 
COVID-19 is only making it more challenging to address.
  Fortunately, help is on the way. This week, we hope the FDA will 
approve and review the emergency use authorization for vaccine 
candidates. Meanwhile, we have all got work to do.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the committee and the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), my good friend, and our 154 cosponsors 
for bringing our resolution to the House floor.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), the author of this important resolution 
and the co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

[[Page H6871]]

  

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity to thank Mr. 
Engel for his incredible service, not only to this Nation, but to the 
world.
  Mr. Engel has been a champion for human rights, for diplomacy, and 
for all things good. This institution is a better place because he has 
served here. There are countless people around the world who are safe 
because of his advocacy on their behalf when they have been unjustly 
imprisoned or targeted unjustly. I want him to know how much I admire 
him and how much I appreciate his service.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 189, introduced by 
my good friend and colleague, Congressman Roger Marshall, and me, in 
support of U.S. leadership and USAID's commitment to advancing global 
maternal and child nutrition.
  I am very proud that this bill has 154 cosponsors, which is a strong 
statement of support for continuing U.S. leadership.
  I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate 
Congressman Marshall on moving on to the Senate next year. I hope we 
will continue our bipartisan partnership to ending hunger here at home 
and around the world. He has been a valuable member of the House Hunger 
Caucus. In case he doesn't already know it, there is a similar caucus 
over in the Senate.
  Mr. Speaker, the world has made impressive progress on improving 
nutrition in the past decade, thanks in part to strong U.S. leadership 
and a bipartisan commitment here in Congress to address these issues. 
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to reverse all of the world's hard-won 
nutrition gains and leave an entire generation in danger of being 
seriously mentally, emotionally, and physically impaired.
  In a world where we produce enough food to feed everyone, 821 million 
people, 1 in 9, still go to bed on an empty stomach each night. Even 
more, one in three, suffer from some form of malnutrition. Based on 
current trends, this number is set to rise to one in every two by 2025.
  Eradicating hunger and malnutrition is surely one of the great 
challenges of our time. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world 
risks backsliding even more on nutrition.
  In July, The Lancet published an article with estimates showing that 
wasting among malnourished children could rise by 14.3 percent if we do 
not act now. This would translate to an estimated additional 6.7 
million wasted children during the first 12 months of the pandemic and 
more than 10,000 additional child deaths per month during this same 
period.
  According to the World Health Organization, 52 percent of the world's 
nations have reported disruptions in health and nutrition services for 
sick and malnourished children.
  But there is always hope, Mr. Speaker, to change the course of these 
trends.
  We are in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and the U.N. Decade of 
Action on Nutrition, 2016 to 2025. This gives us a historic opportunity 
to adapt, reimagine, and invest more in the fight against child and 
maternal malnutrition.
  H. Res. 189 recognizes the importance of these challenges and the 
need for continued U.S. leadership. The resolution urges USAID to fully 
implement the multi-sectoral nutrition strategy to improve global 
nutrition.
  I am sure that I speak for all of my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle that we all support strengthening U.S. efforts to protect women 
and children from malnutrition and related deaths.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 189 on 
global nutrition.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to thank organizations like 
Bread for the World, the Eleanor Crook Foundation, Catholic Relief 
Services, and many others around the world. These are the people who 
implement and advocate for these critical nutrition interventions.
  As the world grapples with the impact of COVID-19, it is more 
important than ever that we ramp up our fight to end chronic 
malnutrition.
  I have been proud to support this critical work, including advocating 
for nutrition programs in annual appropriations bills. I look forward 
to continuing to support these efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 189 is a very important resolution. I 
support it and encourage my colleagues to do so as well. I think that 
both sides of the aisle understand how important this is, and it is 
good to see us working together.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior Member of the House of 
Representatives and the founding chair of the Congressional Children's 
Caucus, I rise in strong support of this bipartisan resolution, H. Res. 
189, ``Recognizing the importance of sustained United States leadership 
to accelerating global progress against maternal and child malnutrition 
and supporting United States Agency for International Development's 
commitment to global nutrition through its multisectoral nutrition 
strategy.''
  First and foremost, I would like to recognize and thank Congressmen 
Roger Marshall and Jim McGovern for their leadership on this vital 
resolution.
  By passing H. Res. 189 today, we are committing ourselves to 
improving the health of women and children in impoverished areas, 
helping prevent illness, and improving economic conditions in poorer 
countries.
  With that in mind, I wish to commend the U.S. Agency for 
International Development's (USAID) maternal and child nutrition 
programs that seek to improve health outcomes by implementing 
nutrition-specific interventions, or those that address the immediate, 
health-related determinants of undernutrition.
  These critical investments are closely coordinated with USAID's 
nutrition-sensitive interventions that address underlying or systemic 
causes of inadequate nutrition, such as education, water, sanitation, 
and hygiene, agriculture, as well as the healthy timing and spacing of 
pregnancy.
  It is no secret that poverty amplifies the risk of, and risks from, 
malnutrition.
  People who are poor are more likely to be affected by different forms 
of malnutrition.
  Furthermore, malnutrition increases health care costs, reduces 
productivity, and slows economic growth, which can perpetuate a cycle 
of poverty and ill-health.
  Malnutrition can have several negative and deadly effects such as 
decreased cognitive development in newborns, greater vulnerability to 
disease and other issues.
  Women, infants, children, and adolescents are at particular risk of 
malnutrition.
  Optimizing nutrition early in life, especially from the 1,000 days 
from conception to a child's second birthday ensures the best possible 
start in life, with long-term benefits.
  For example, adults who were not malnourished as children earn nearly 
46 percent more than their counterparts, as stated in the resolution.
  According to UNICEF, nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 
are attributable to undernutrition.
  Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I stood here today without 
addressing the global impact of COVID-19 on malnutrition.
  Today, the significant and life-altering shocks created by the 
pandemic and the necessary containment measures have meant that more 
vulnerable children are facing malnourishment, as efforts to mitigate 
the transmission of COVID-19 have resulted in the disruption of food 
systems, thereby upending health and nutrition services, devastating 
livelihoods, as well as threatening food security.
  As of July 2020, an estimated 370 million children were missing 
school meals, which have been directly tied to improving students' 
health and nutrition while also helping them develop good eating 
habits.
  Recent estimates from UNICEF indicate that in addition to the 690 
million undernourished people in 2019, at least another 83 million 
people, and possibly as many as 132 million, may go hungry in 2020.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is needed now more than ever, and I am 
proud to be here and voice my support for it.
  I urge all Members on both sides of the aisle to join me in voting 
for H. Res. 189, ``Recognizing the importance of sustained United 
States leadership to accelerating global progress against maternal and 
child malnutrition and supporting United States Agency for 
International Development's commitment to global nutrition through its 
multi-sectoral nutrition strategy.''
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 189, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  The title of the resolution was amended so as to read: ``A resolution

[[Page H6872]]

supporting sustained United States leadership to accelerating global 
progress against maternal and child malnutrition and supporting United 
States Agency for International Development's commitment to global 
nutrition through its multi-sectoral nutrition strategy.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________