[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 74 (Wednesday, May 4, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S2299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Food Security

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I thank the majority leader.
  I will resume my comments about food security.
  As I mentioned earlier, across the world now, we not only have 276 
million people who now face acute food insecurity--as I said, meaning 
that they are in immediate danger of not being able to find their next 
meal--but what is ahead is an exacerbation of that problem. Another 47 
million people will likely face these same dangers by the end of this 
year.
  So a food security problem, which was a substantial problem before 
the pandemic, made ever worse by the pandemic, has gotten much worse 
because of the war in Ukraine--all caused by an attack on a sovereign 
country by a brutal dictator, Mr. Putin.
  So this is one of the many reasons why this war in Ukraine--or why 
all of us, I should say, across the free world have a stake in what 
happens in Ukraine.
  I wanted to also highlight what the United States is doing in the 
midst of this terrible food insecurity crisis.
  We can't afford to forget and should not forget about the tens of 
millions who are struggling to survive as a result of this invasion. To 
feed all of those in need, the World Food Programme, which does such 
good work all across the globe--goes into conflict zones to provide 
food to people--that program estimates it will take more than $18 
billion.
  The United States must not share this burden alone, but if we don't 
lead the way, no one will. That is true in so many instances. It is 
true with regard to the President's leadership against Mr. Putin by 
helping the people of Ukraine; it is also true in terms of American 
leadership on food security.
  President Biden's request for $33 billion for all aspects of the 
challenge in Ukraine doesn't include enough, in my judgment. It 
includes $1.6 billion for food security and humanitarian assistance. 
Now, that sounds like a lot of money, but it is not enough to meet the 
moment.
  And despite my consistent urging, Congress has appropriated flat 
funding for the U.S. food security program, Feed the Future, over the 
last 10 years. Adjusting for inflation, the program has been cut by 
almost a third of its total programming, from almost $1.5 billion in 
today's dollars to just over $1 billion.
  So, today, we face the same global food crisis which the Feed the 
Future Program was originally created to address after the 2008 
recession. So after a recession, we had a global food security 
challenge, and now after a pandemic, and exacerbated by the war in 
Ukraine, we have potentially an even greater challenge.
  So we must again rise to the challenge. When I say ``we,'' I mean the 
U.S. Government, the Congress, the branch of our government that 
appropriates money, has to rise to the challenge by providing the 
resources that are necessary to feed those who face famine--not just 
missing a meal here and there, famine itself.
  We have got to support these smallholder farmers, who are the 
backbone of the world's food supply, and sustainably strengthen food 
systems to protect against the next war, the next pandemic, the next 
drought, or the next flood.
  So that is why I am leading a letter to appropriators urging robust 
funding of all--all--global food security accounts in the fiscal year 
2023 budget, specifically calling for an almost $200 million increase 
just for the Feed the Future Program, not to mention those other global 
food security programs and accounts.
  This funding will only put a dent in the growing food security 
crisis, but it will inspire our allies and our partners to follow us. 
America leads the world in so many ways, and, fortunately, most of the 
time on food security we have led the world as well.
  We need to do that again. We need to lay the groundwork for a more 
secure food future and save tens and tens of thousands of lives--
potentially a lot more than that--in the immediate future.