[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 10, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2577-H2578]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CALLING ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO RESTORE FOOD AID

  (Mr. Magaziner of Rhode Island was recognized to address the House 
for 5 minutes.)
  Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today for the 19th time to call on 
the Trump administration to restore funding for lifesaving food aid for 
malnourished children.
  I am a father. I have a 3-year-old and 1-year-old at home, Max and 
Lucy. Like any parent, I want the very best for my kids. I am so lucky 
that I do not have to worry about whether they will be fed today or 
tomorrow. Yet, around the world, malnutrition and starvation is the 
number one cause of death for children.
  When a child suffers from malnutrition, it stunts their growth. Their 
organs shut down. For toddlers, like my 3-year-old, they can have their 
body weight reduced to be as low as an infant's.
  When they suffer from extreme malnutrition, they can't be fed 
traditional food anymore. In order to save their lives and to cure 
their malnutrition, they need this: Plumpy'Nut. It is a packet of 
fortified paste. They take one of these per day. After a month, they 
are back up to normal body weight and healthy once again.
  Edesia Nutrition in North Kingstown is one of two places in the 
country that produces Plumpy'Nut. All the ingredients, the peanuts, 
soybeans, sugar, and dairy, come from American farms and

[[Page H2578]]

factories. It is manufactured here in the United States and, until 
recently, was shipped around the world, reaching 400,000 children a 
month.
  Think about that, Mr. Speaker. That is 400,000 children a month whose 
lives were being saved--that is, until Elon Musk and the Trump 
administration cut off funding for this program.
  There is nothing woke about this. This is not waste. This is not 
fraud. This is nutrition for starving kids, and it needs to be 
restored.
  These production lines have been shut down. There are boxes and boxes 
of this stuff sitting in a warehouse in Rhode Island instead of getting 
to the kids who need it.
  What is the impact of this halt in funding? Not only does it mean 
that there are more kids starving around the world by the thousands, 
but it also means that our adversaries, particularly China, have a 
golden opportunity to swoop in to the rescue and build good will with 
nations all around the world.
  Mr. Speaker, foreign aid is not just charity. It serves our interests 
as a country, as well, when we build good will with nations that have 
rare earth minerals and can assist us in intelligence gathering against 
terrorist organizations and our other adversaries. This is part of how 
we build strong relationships around the world to make Americans safer. 
When we cut off this aid, which is a tiny, tiny fraction of the Federal 
budget, then it only helps our adversaries.
  The entire funding for this program was about $80 million a year. The 
Cannon House Office Building across the street is being renovated at a 
cost of $800 million. We are spending 10 times as much to renovate our 
office building as we were spending a year to save the lives of 
thousands and thousands of children suffering from malnutrition. What 
kind of priorities are those?
  Here is the thing: The good news is that Trump administration 
officials, including Secretary Rubio, have said over and over that they 
are going to restore funding for this program. They admit that this is 
not waste or fraud but that this is part of the core mission of what 
USAID was supposed to be.
  That is great. Why haven't they sent the money? What is the holdup? 
It has been 5 months now, and they have said over and over that they 
intend to restore funding for emergency food aid. They just haven't 
done it yet. Why not? Every day that goes by is a day that children are 
unnecessarily going hungry.
  Once again, I am going to rise in this Chamber every day until the 
administration keeps their word and restores funding for emergency food 
aid for children around the world.

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