[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2857-S2858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 745. Mr. MERKLEY (for himself and Mr. Young) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2226, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2024 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle F of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1282. REPORT ON PARTNER FORCES UTILIZING UNITED STATES 
                   SECURITY ASSISTANCE IDENTIFIED AS USING HUNGER 
                   AS A WEAPON OF WAR.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the United States recognizes the link between armed 
     conflict and conflict-induced food insecurity;
       (2) Congress recognizes and condemns the role of nefarious 
     security actors, including state and non-state armed groups, 
     who have utilized hunger as a weapon of war, including 
     through the unanimous adoption of House of Representatives 
     Resolution 922 and Senate Resolution 669 relating to 
     ``[c]ondemning the use of hunger as a weapon of war and 
     recognizing the effect of conflict on global food security 
     and famine'';
       (3) United Nations Security Council Resolution 2417 
     articulates principles that should serve as important 
     framework for holding perpetrators that use hunger as a 
     weapon of war accountable; and
       (4) the United States should use the diplomatic and 
     humanitarian tools at our disposal to not only fight global 
     hunger, mitigate the spread of conflict, and promote 
     critical, lifesaving assistance, but also hold perpetrators 
     using hunger as a weapon of war to account.
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Hunger as a weapon of war.--The term ``hunger as a 
     weapon of war'' means--
       (A) intentional starvation of civilians;
       (B) intentional and reckless destruction, removal, looting, 
     or rendering useless objects necessary for food production 
     and distribution, such as farmland, markets, mills,

[[Page S2858]]

     food processing and storage facilities, food stuffs, crops, 
     livestock, agricultural assets, waterways, water systems, 
     drinking water facilities and supplies, and irrigation 
     networks;
       (C) undue denial of humanitarian access and deprivation of 
     objects indispensable to people's survival, such as food 
     supplies and nutrition resources; and
       (D) willful interruption of market systems for populations 
     in need, including through the prevention of travel and 
     manipulation of currency exchange.
       (2) Security assistance.--The term ``security assistance'' 
     means assistance meeting the definition of ``security 
     assistance'' under section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act 
     of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304).
       (c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with 
     the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
     International Development, and the Secretary of Defense shall 
     submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees 
     regarding--
       (1) United States-funded security assistance and 
     cooperation; and
       (2) whether the governments and entities receiving such 
     assistance have or are currently using hunger as a weapon of 
     war.
       (d) Elements.--The report required under subsection (c) 
     shall--
       (1) identify countries receiving United States-funded 
     security assistance or participating in security programs and 
     activities, including in coordination with the Department of 
     Defense, that are currently experiencing famine-like 
     conditions as a result of conflict;
       (2) describe the actors and actions taken by such actors in 
     the countries identified pursuant to paragraph (1) who are 
     utilizing hunger as a weapon of war; and
       (3) describe any current or existing plans to continue 
     providing United States-funded security assistance to 
     recipient countries.
       (e) Form.--The report required under subsection (c) shall 
     be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a 
     classified annex.
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