[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S964-S965]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Food for Peace Program
Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, today I want to speak about a program that
has shaped our Nation's humanitarian efforts and made a significant
impact on my home State of Kansas, a program called Food for Peace.
In 1953, agricultural surpluses had reached an alltime high, but the
price of storing excess commodities was too expensive to rationalize,
and it was at risk of going to waste.
Kansas farmers, like Cheyenne County's Peter O'Brien, worked hard to
cultivate and grow these commodities. Looking for a solution, Peter
suggested at a local Farm Bureau meeting that maybe the excess food
could be sent to countries in need. Peter understood that, out of our
abundance, we have a moral duty and opportunity to feed the hungry. His
idea sparked the origin of a program we now know as Food for Peace.
Another Kansan, one of my predecessors, Andy Schoeppel, led the Food
for Peace Act in the Senate, which was signed into law by President
Eisenhower, another Kansan, in 1954, and Senator Bob Dole from Russell,
KS, later championed the reauthorization of Food for Peace.
The program's premise was simple but impactful: By leveraging the
food surpluses we produce in Kansas and across the Nation, we could
address famine around the world, while creating new markets for our
commodities and bolstering our agricultural economy.
The first shipments of American wheat and corn were sent to Korea and
Greece in 1954, and by the end of Food for Peace's initial year of
operation, it had fed 1.2 million people. Over the last 70 years, the
program has fed more than 4 billion people in more than 150 countries,
all with American-grown commodities.
Hunger, whether driven by price increases or food shortages, can act
as a catalyst for protest and armed conflict. We have seen how food can
be used as a weapon of war as radical Islamic groups in Syria used food
as a means to recruit soldiers. We have witnessed regions of the world
that are critical to America's strategic interest descend into chaos
due to people not having access to affordable food.
In a turbulent world, stricken with conflict, American leadership is
more than just our military and our economic might. Food aid provided
by the United States reduces despair and increases stability within
fragile countries by enabling economic productivity and minimizing the
risk of radicalization.
For countless individuals around the world, their survival is
dependent upon the resources provided by the American people. These
vulnerable populations rely on the strength and prosperity of the
United States. However, much work remains in the ongoing battle against
hunger, and part of that battle is improving the process and programs
that administer our aid.
Food for Peace is administered by the USAID, and the inefficiency of
USAID has been a growing concern. The Agency struggles with
bureaucratic delays, mismanagement, and a lack of coordination, which
undermines its ability to deliver effectively aid to those in need.
This inefficiency not only wastes taxpayer dollars but also diminishes
the impact of America's foreign aid in addressing global crises.
Reports suggest that millions of taxpayer dollars have been allocated
to promoting tourism in Lebanon and Egypt, funding the purchase of
electric vehicles for Vietnam, and inadvertently supporting the
cultivation of opium in Afghanistan.
Even more concerning, it has been confirmed that $9 million intended
for civilian food and medical supplies in Syria fell into the hands of
terrorist organizations linked to al-Qaida, due to the failed oversight
of USAID.
Amid these concerns of corruption, President Trump has taken steps to
dismantle USAID. In conjunction with the President's action and with
approval of the White House policy team, I have introduced a bill with
Senator John Hoeven and Senator Roger Marshall and Representative
Tracey Mann to move Food for Peace from the turbulent USAID program and
move it to the Department of Agriculture, in an effort to prevent waste
and bring the program closer to farmers that depend upon it.
USDA has a long and proven history of managing agricultural policy
and programs that support American farmers, food distribution systems,
and global security efforts. USDA has boots on the ground and the
infrastructure already in place to support the logistics for food
assistance. The Agency understands how to move crops efficiently,
sustainably, and quickly. This knowledge is indispensable when
responding to international crises, where speed and reliability can
mean the difference between life and death. By placing Food for Peace
under USDA's authority, we make certain that the program is in good
hands and can continue to bring revenue to American agriculture.
As of just a little over an hour ago, the Senate confirmed the new
Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins. I have no doubt she will be
an excellent advocate for our Nation's farmers, and I appreciate the
conversations we have already had on this legislation. The Secretary
has told me she is excited about this proposal and looks forward to
working together on this issue.
We produce more than we can consume in this Nation. So without
programs to export to, our ability to make a living in agriculture in
Kansas and across the country disappears.
In fiscal year 2023 alone, $713 million of U.S.-grown commodities
were purchased by the Food for Peace program, putting money back into
the hands of farmers. In rural America, food assistance programs like
Food for Peace put American-grown products in the hands of the hungry,
and this food is a tangible extension of the hard work and dedication
of farmers and ranchers.
I am pleased to help find ways to make our delivery of food aid more
effective, more efficient, and remove the challenges and things that we
have seen that are so disturbing.
America is the greatest country on Earth and the most prosperous.
Food for Peace bolsters the farmers who feed us, creates a more stable
world, and feeds the hungry.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I am here to speak in opposition to the
confirmation of Senator Kelly Loeffler to serve as Administrator of the
Small Business Administration.
I am concerned for the more than 722,000 small businesses that call
Massachusetts home and that last year relied on $708 million in loans
from the Small Business Administration.
I am concerned because of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who have sent a
clear message: They are here to illegally cut off funding for critical
government Agencies and services. They are here to make government work
for billionaires but at the expense of working-class people, and they
are filling their Cabinet with people who are going to carry out that
illegal bidding.
[[Page S965]]
As I stand here today, DOGE operatives continue to work under the
cover of darkness, including at the Small Business Administration. The
American people want answers. Is the private information of families
and businesses and individuals safe at the SBA? Will an entrepreneur
looking to open their beauty salon be looking to close on an SBA loan
and get their money on schedule? Can government contractors, many of
whom are veterans, continue providing critical services while getting
paid on time?
Lawmakers and American families alike are scrambling to figure out
whether the government is open for business. Small business owners are
wondering what will come from the illegal access to their private data
by Musk's minions. These are just small business people across the
country who have handed over the financial secrets of their families,
and there is no guarantee that all of those secrets of their families
are being protected right now. They are small business people. We have
7 million people in Massachusetts and 722,000 small businesses.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump continues to attack DEI--diversity, equity,
and inclusion--when, in reality, the administration is carrying out a
different kind of DEI--``defending Elon's interests.''
So today, I stand in opposition to the confirmation of Kelly Loeffler
because of this effort which is going to be throwing us into a
constitutional crisis through their illegal actions. I fear that, as
Administrator, Senator Loeffler will put the interests--at the command
of Donald Trump and Elon Musk--of the more than 34 million small
businesses second and of Elon and billionaire interests first.
In a moment when our democracy is under threat, I expect a clearer
commitment to the rule of law. So far, Senator Loeffler has offered an
unapologetic defense of Trump's Executive orders, which attempt to
supersede the law of the land, and has supported pardons for the
January 6 insurrectionists.
Taxpayers need to ensure they have an environment which is fair and
impartial at the SBA. Instead, Senator Loeffler has, in the past,
basically bragged that she is more conservative even than Attila the
Hun.
I need to make sure that this environment that is being created is
one which is going to be hospitable to small businesses, because they
need to ensure that there is an Administrator who will act ethically
and for the benefit of America's entrepreneurs. Small businesses need
an Administrator who will help them compete and innovate. They do not
need an Administrator who is only listening to the White House's,
Trump's, and Elon Musk's orders.
To conclude, under the Biden administration, we saw a record number
of new small businesses, but just because they were recovering, it
doesn't mean they weren't hurting.
So to all of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, we have to
work together to uplift our entrepreneurs and promote a ruthless
Darwinian marketplace that would bring a smile to Adam Smith. That is
my goal. The vibrancy of our communities depends on us ensuring small
business can compete, expand, and create jobs.
By crippling government from within, Trump is trying to damage the
critical services that help working families put food on the table. So
I urge a ``no'' vote on the confirmation of Senator Loeffler to serve
as Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
Unfortunately, by now, we are able to look back and see the totality
across the EPA, across the NIH, across the President's call for the
dismantlement of the Department of Education as to what the real story
line is here as the Trump administration and the DOGE apparatchiks move
into Agency after Agency and are in the Small Business Administration
right now.
So my goal is to try to protect that SBA that we have all known on a
bipartisan basis for generations--to just protect it from this storm of
partisanship that is taking over our country, and on that basis, I
recommend a ``no'' vote.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.
Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, later today, we have the opportunity to
advance the nomination of the Honorable Kelly Loeffler to be the
Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
Senator Loeffler is immensely qualified for this role. As a
successful businesswoman, it is abundantly clear that Senator Loeffler
truly understands what it takes to be an entrepreneur and will be an
effective voice for small businesses across America.
Since President Trump's election in November, optimism on Main Street
has surged to its highest levels since 2018. Our Nation's job
creators--small businesses--are excited about the prospect of having a
dedicated and knowledgeable leader at the helm of the SBA.
Last week, the Small Business Committee, on which I serve as chair,
favorably reported her nomination out with a bipartisan vote--a sure
sign that my friends on both sides of the aisle believe she is fit to
lead the SBA.
Senator Loeffler will bring accountability back to the Agency and
promote policies that will truly benefit America's small businesses. As
evidenced in her nomination hearing, Senator Loeffler's experience and
her expertise make her the right person to lead the SBA and advocate
for our small businesses.
Growing up on her family's farm in Bloomington, IL, Senator Loeffler
experienced firsthand the problems facing America's farmers and small
business owners. And as a fellow farm girl myself, I look forward to
having some more Midwest common sense in Washington, DC.
Senator Loeffler also witnessed her parents start up a small trucking
business and navigate complex rules and regulations. She understands
the struggles small businesses face because--do you know what?--she has
experienced them. Fortunately, Senator Loeffler is ready to cut the
redtape and reduce the burdens that so many of our job creators still
face today.
Senator Loeffler is also a successful entrepreneur. She was the first
employee and CEO of a financial technology company. Through her hard
work and tenacity, she aggressively grew the company and took it public
within 3 years.
Additionally, Senator Loeffler knows what it means to work for Main
Street and the American people. During COVID, as a U.S. Senator, she
worked tirelessly to bring relief to the people of Georgia,
specifically through the Paycheck Protection Program. However, she,
like me, recognizes that some took advantage of this program, and they
need to be held accountable. During her confirmation hearing, Senator
Loeffler detailed her zero-tolerance policy for waste, fraud, and abuse
in the SBA. That should be welcome news for all of us.
In addition, Senator Loeffler indicated the need for a full-scale
audit--I started my political career as an auditor, so I agree with
this--a full-scale audit at the SBA to uncover improper spending and
stated she would rely on that data to make the best decisions for the
future of the SBA.
Senator Loeffler also noted the importance of working with Congress,
particularly when it comes to disaster relief. She recognized the
tragedy of the SBA's disaster shortfall, which lasted for 66 days in
the middle of back-to-back natural disasters. She recognized this
should never happen again.
SBA's vital role in the disaster process cannot be overstated, and we
must ensure we have an Administrator who will alert Congress at the
first signs of any concerns.
The SBA needs a strong leader with a proven track record in business
management, and Senator Loeffler brings all of that and more to the
table.
I look forward to working with Senator Loeffler to ensure small
businesses all across America can thrive and maintain these high levels
of optimism we are already seeing under this administration.
I urge my colleagues to advance her nomination and support her with a
``yes'' vote.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.