[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 183 (Tuesday, November 29, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8629-H8631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1615
  CONDEMNING THE USE OF HUNGER AS A WEAPON OF WAR AND RECOGNIZING THE 
         EFFECT OF CONFLICT ON GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY AND FAMINE

  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 922) condemning the use of hunger 
as a weapon of war and recognizing the effect of conflict on global 
food security and famine, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 922

       Whereas, in 2021, 193,000,000 people experienced crisis 
     levels of food insecurity, with nearly 139,000,000 people 
     living in environments where conflict was the main driver of 
     this crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened rising 
     global food insecurity;
       Whereas conflict acutely impacts vulnerable populations 
     such as women and children, persons with disabilities, 
     refugees, and internally displaced persons;
       Whereas armed conflict's impacts on food security can be 
     direct, such as displacement from land, destruction of 
     livestock grazing areas and fishing grounds, or destruction 
     of food stocks and agricultural assets, or indirect, such as 
     disruptions to food systems, leading to increased food 
     prices, including water and fuel, and the breakdown of a 
     government's ability to enforce regulations or perform its 
     judiciary functions;

[[Page H8630]]

       Whereas aerial bombing campaigns targeting agricultural 
     heartlands, scorched earth methods of warfare, and the use of 
     landmines and other explosive devices have direct impacts on 
     the ability of vulnerable populations to feed themselves;
       Whereas effective humanitarian response in armed conflict, 
     including in the threat of conflict-induced famine and food 
     insecurity in situations of armed conflict, requires respect 
     for international humanitarian law by all parties to the 
     conflict, and allowing and facilitating the rapid and 
     unimpeded movement of humanitarian relief to all those in 
     need;
       Whereas efforts to restrict humanitarian aid and the 
     operational integrity and impartiality of humanitarian aid 
     works and distribution efforts, including through blockades, 
     security impediments, or irregular bureaucratic requirements 
     is another means by which combatants employ starvation and 
     food deprivation as a weapon of war; and
       Whereas the United States Government has the tools to fight 
     global hunger, provide and protect lifesaving assistance, and 
     promote the prevention of conflict, including through the 
     Global Fragility Act of 2019 (title V of division J of Public 
     Law 116-94), the Global Food Security Act of 2016 (Public Law 
     114-195), and the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public 
     Law 115-334), and has the potential to hold accountable those 
     using hunger as a weapon in conflict through the Global 
     Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of 
     title XII of Public Law 114-328) and other means: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns--
       (A) the use of starvation of civilians as a weapon of 
     warfare;
       (B) the intentional and reckless destruction, removing, 
     looting, blocking, or rendering useless objects necessary for 
     food production and distribution such as farmland, markets, 
     mills, food processing and storage areas, such as ports and 
     hubs containing grain terminals, foodstuffs, crops, 
     livestock, agricultural assets, waterways, water systems, 
     drinking water installations and supplies, and irrigation 
     works;
       (C) the denial of humanitarian access and the deprivation 
     of objects indispensable to people's survival, such as food 
     supplies and nutrition resources; and
       (D) the willful interruption of market systems to affected 
     populations in need in conflict environments by preventing 
     travel and manipulating currency exchange;
       (2) calls on the United States Government to--
       (A) prioritize diplomatic efforts to call out and address 
     instances where hunger and intentional deprivation of food is 
     being utilized as a weapon of war, including efforts to 
     ensure that security operations do not undermine livelihoods 
     of local populations to minimize civilian harm;
       (B) continue efforts to address severe food insecurity 
     through humanitarian and development response efforts, 
     including in-kind food assistance, vouchers, and other 
     flexible modalities, and long-term programming focused on 
     agriculture support and resilient livelihoods;
       (C) ensure existing interagency strategies, crisis response 
     efforts, and ongoing programs consider, integrate, and adapt 
     to address conflict by utilizing crisis modifiers in United 
     States Agency for International Development programming to 
     respond to rapid shocks and stress such as the willful 
     targeting of food systems; and
       (D) ensure that the use of hunger as a weapon in conflict 
     is considered within the employment of tools to hold 
     individuals, governments, militias, or entities responsible 
     such as the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act 
     (22 U.S.C. 2656), where appropriate, and taking into 
     consideration the need for humanitarian exemptions and the 
     protection of lifesaving assistance.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Jacobs) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs).


                             general leave

  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 922, as 
amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs)?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 922 to condemn 
the use of hunger as a weapon of war and recognize the effect of 
conflict on global food security.
  I thank Chair Meeks for his support and my colleagues, 
Representatives Peter Meijer,   Bobby Rush, and Tracey Mann, for co-
leading this with me.
  Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have seen how climate 
change, the pandemic, and conflict fuel food crises around the world in 
Yemen, Syria, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, and now this war has 
exacerbated all of these crises.
  In Ukraine, Russia's unprovoked war has left one in three families 
without enough food and disrupted critical supply chains in the country 
and around the world.
  But we also have to recognize that we shouldn't only sound the alarm 
and mobilize aid and attention when and where humanitarian crises 
affect people who look like us. Around the world, especially in some of 
the poorest countries, millions of people are hungry and suffering as a 
direct result of Putin's relentless crusade for power.
  In the Horn of Africa, the combined effects of climate change, 
conflict, and rising food prices from Russia's invasion of Ukraine have 
all exacerbated the rising food crisis, with more than 37 million 
people, including 7 million children, on the verge of famine as the 
region endures the longest drought in more than 40 years.
  Afghanistan continues to face an acute humanitarian crisis this 
upcoming winter, where over 95 percent of the population cannot afford 
to feed themselves or their families.
  Haiti imports 70 percent of its food, mainly from Russia and Canada, 
and is experiencing catastrophic hunger levels, with 4.7 million of the 
population facing acute hunger.
  In Ethiopia, over 20 million people in Tigray, Amhara, and Afar are 
in dire need of humanitarian assistance and rely on wheat imports from 
Ukraine and Russia.
  In South Sudan, where I traveled earlier this year, 8.3 million 
people are experiencing severe food insecurity, the most extreme level 
of food insecurity in the country since it became independent in 2011.
  But we have also seen the power of the U.N., diplomacy, and global 
cooperation in alleviating this crisis. The historic Black Sea Grain 
Initiative, which was recently extended, has facilitated the export of 
millions of tons of agricultural exports from Ukraine's Black Sea 
ports.
  I commend Ukraine's new humanitarian initiative, Grain from Ukraine, 
that came out of the first International Summit on Food Security. It 
will ship grain to African countries most in need. Governments around 
the world have already contributed $150 million, with hopefully more to 
come.
  The crisis in Ukraine has made clear why it is so important that we, 
as a body, recognize the consequences of war on food security, condemn 
starvation of civilians as a weapon of war, and call on the United 
States Government--here in Congress and in the administration--to 
continue addressing these crises and hold perpetrators accountable.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to lead this important resolution today, and 
I urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution authored by my 
colleagues, Congresswoman Jacobs and Congressman Meijer. This 
resolution condemns the use of hunger as a weapon of war and recognizes 
the impact that conflict has on global food security and famine.
  Around the world, over 300 million people are in urgent need of food 
assistance. Many are facing emergency food needs due to years of 
protracted conflict, whether in Syria, Yemen, the Sahel, Nigeria, or 
South Sudan.
  But shockingly, we are also seeing the increasing use of hunger and 
starvation as a deliberate weapon of war, with worldwide effects. 
Ukraine just commemorated the solemn anniversary of the Holodomor 
famine, which killed millions of Ukrainians at Stalin's direction. 
Ninety years later, Putin is reviving this evil, targeting wheat fields 
and grain silos, deliberately seeking to destroy vital sources of food 
for the Ukrainian people and the world.
  The Kremlin's propaganda machine is attempting to blame international 
sanctions for the worsening global food crisis, but that is a lie. In 
reality, this crisis is a direct result of Putin's unprovoked war of 
aggression against Ukraine.
  Meanwhile, Russia uses its influence at the U.N. to exert control 
over the vital food aid that millions of Syrians rely on in an effort 
to bolster Bashar al-Assad's brutal grip on power.

[[Page H8631]]

  In Yemen, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have weaponized food aid, using 
it for military gains and personal profit, while millions of Yemenis 
continue to face famine-like conditions.
  These atrocities must be condemned by all people of goodwill. The 
administration should impose severe penalties on those responsible, 
including through sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human 
Rights Accountability Act.

  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Jacobs and Meijer, Chairman 
Meeks, and Ranking Member McCaul for introducing this measure and 
bringing it to the floor. An identical text unanimously passed the 
Senate in July.
  Deliberately starving innocent civilians as a weapon of war must be 
condemned wherever it occurs. This resolution also condemns the acts of 
looting, diversion, or other denials of humanitarian access that impede 
the delivery of lifesaving assistance to populations who need it the 
most.
  Finally, I take this moment to commend the humanitarians who put 
their lives at risk every day to get food to vulnerable children, 
women, and men who need it just to stay alive. Their efforts deserve 
our support, and so does this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 922 is an important piece of legislation to put 
this body on record as condemning the weaponization of hunger around 
the world and the impact conflict has on global food security.
  As the world works together to alleviate multiple crises, this 
resolution serves as an important reminder of the cost of war and the 
need to hold perpetrators of starvation accountable.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me and support this 
resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 922, 
``Condemning the use of hunger as a weapon of war and recognizing the 
effect of conflict on global food security and famine Act''.
  This resolution condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a 
weapon of warfare. It also calls on the U.S. government to prioritize 
diplomatic efforts to call out and address instances where hunger and 
intentional deprivation of food is being utilized as a weapon of war, 
including efforts to ensure that security operations do not undermine 
livelihoods of local populations to minimize civilian harm.
  The United States has always been a nation that espouses human 
rights. That's a central tenet on which we were founded.
  So when we see starvation being used as a weapon of warfare, it is 
reprehensible to us.
  Global food insecurity is of great importance to me because, not only 
am I a longtime Member of the House Hunger Caucus, I represent the same 
Congressional District that had been represented by iconic leaders who 
fought to end hunger in the U.S. and globally.
  I am proud to continue the historic legacy of Congresswoman Barbara 
Jordan, who was a champion for human dignity and fought for the rights 
of all people regardless of race, gender, heritage, or economic status, 
and Congressman Mickey Leland, who worked tirelessly to raise awareness 
of, and fight for, policies to end food insecurity around the globe and 
who, tragically, died in a plane crash while working to end world 
hunger on a relief mission in Ethiopia.
  Starvation is a brutal and inhumane way to force someone to 
surrender. It's a slow and agonizing death, used by the immoral to gain 
leverage in a war of attrition and aggression.
  Starvation tactics typically target innocent, vulnerable civilians 
who are not directly a party to the conflict; instead they are merely 
caught in the crossfire of conflict.
  That is why we must adopt this legislation.
  The United States government must prioritize diplomatic efforts to 
call out and address instances where hunger and intentional deprivation 
of food is being utilized as a weapon.
  We must show the world that we do not condone this type of behavior 
and that we will not stand for it.
  The United States should prioritize diplomatic efforts to call out 
and address instances where hunger and intentional deprivation of food 
is being utilized as a weapon.
  We must do everything in our power to protect innocent civilians from 
this barbaric practice.
  Starvation is a terrible thing. It's something that nobody should 
have to go through. And yet, there are people in this world who are 
starving right now as a consequence of war, or, perhaps worse, as a 
tool of warfare.
  The people of Ethiopia's Tigre Province are being subjected to a 
truly vile and malicious use of food deprivation in this way. The 
region was already suffering from drought, and when compounded by 
forced starvation from denial of access to food as a weapon of war, the 
effect is heinous and the consequences are unforgiveable.
  In Pakistan, food deprivation is compounded by the human toll from 
recent floods and other natural disasters. Using drought to 
strategically exacerbate starvation is unacceptable.
  Russia's aggression against Ukraine is a global food insecurity 
tragedy on multiple levels. As Putin wages his war against the people 
of Ukraine, he uses food as a weapon by destroying the food production 
and transportation capacity of the country he invaded. At the same 
time, since Ukraine grows grains and crops that feed much of the world, 
Putin's devastation of Ukraine's food production infrastructure and 
takeovers of Ukrainian food exports cause food insecure populations of 
countless countries to suffer, especially in Africa.
  Finally, I condemn the use of government blockades as a weapon of war 
to deliberately increase starvation.
  Government blockades are nothing more than collective punishment, and 
they're a violation of the human rights of the people who are suffering 
under them.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 922, as amended.
  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. BIGGS. 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.

                          ____________________