[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 123 (Thursday, July 17, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4479-S4482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2942. Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. Graham) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2296, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense
[[Page S4480]]
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 A of title XII, add the following:
SEC. 1210. UNITED STATES FOUNDATION FOR INTERNATIONAL FOOD
SECURITY.
(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``United
States Foundation for International Food Security Act of
2025''.
(b) Defined Term.--In this section, the term ``appropriate
congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives;
(5) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives; and
(6) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(c) Establishment.--
(1) Finding.--Congress finds that there has been
established, in the District of Columbia, a private,
nonprofit corporation, which is known as the United States
Foundation for International Food Security (referred to in
this section as the ``Foundation''), which is not an agency
or establishment of the United States Government.
(2) Savings provision.--Nothing in this section may be
construed as--
(A) making the Foundation an agency or establishment of the
United States Government; or
(B) making any member of the Board of Directors of the
Foundation or any officer or employee of the Foundation an
employee of the United States.
(3) Transfers or consolidation require act of congress.--
Neither the Foundation nor any of its functions, powers, or
duties may be transferred to, or consolidated with, any
department, agency, or entity of the Federal Government
absent an Act of Congress to such effect.
(4) Tax-exempt status.--The Board shall take all necessary
and appropriate steps to ensure that the Foundation is
established as an organization described in subsection (c) of
section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, which
exempts the organization from taxation under subsection (a)
of such section.
(d) Purposes.--The purposes of the Foundation are--
(1) to accelerate enduring, primarily locally-led
agriculture investments that foster food security and
resilience in the crop, poultry, aquaculture, and livestock
industries, that focus on building economically resilient
food systems by investing in--
(A) financing for, distribution of, and training around key
inputs required for increasing crop and animal productivity,
distribution, and profits;
(B) infrastructure, such as irrigation, warehousing,
storage, and food processing, to improve food production and
market access through better product quality and the
prevention of food loss;
(C) applied agricultural research; and
(D) economically viable technology deployment that reduces
hunger and increases agriculture production or distribution
methods;
(2) to prevent unnecessary or inefficient vetting
processes, due diligence, project financing, or evaluation
reviews by seeking out partnerships and contracting with
existing government and nongovernmental entities that have
proven track records;
(3) to deploy and scale technology and innovation to
accelerate food security and agricultural-led economic growth
that reduces global hunger and malnutrition;
(4) to coordinate with the United States Foundation for
International Conservation;
(5) to advance the national security interests of the
United States;
(6) to complement international and government investment
and technical assistance mechanisms, such as those employed
or managed by the United States International Development
Finance Corporation, and United States Government food
security programs, to jointly catalyze private and public
sector engagement, spur agricultural-led economic growth, and
strengthen local food and nutrition systems; and
(7) to ensure the effective use of United States taxpayer
dollars and the prioritization of United States foreign
policy interests.
(e) Governance of the Foundation.--
(1) Board of directors.--
(A) Governance.--The Foundation shall be governed by a
voting Board of Directors (referred to in this subsection as
the ``Board'') that--
(i) shall not exceed 15 members; and
(ii) may consult with a nonvoting Board of Advisors when
making decisions related to the Foundation's work.
(B) Qualifications.--Individuals appointed to the Board
shall include individuals who are knowledgeable and
experienced in matters relating to--
(i) agricultural production, livestock, land management, or
forestry;
(ii) agricultural economics, business development,
technology deployment, market access, agribusinesses
(including food companies), market access, supply chains,
infrastructure, or commodities groups;
(iii) international finance and multilateral governance;
(iv) outcome-based and impact funding concepts, including
the role of impact evaluations and data collection, to
measure the progress of ventures, and innovative grantee or
investee selection and funding structures;
(v) agricultural research and development; or
(vi) national security.
(C) Limitation on political affiliation.--The Directors of
the Board shall include members of both major political
parties in a relatively equal number.
(D) Chairperson.--A quorum of the voting Directors of the
Board shall elect a Chairperson, who shall serve in such
position for a 4-year term.
(E) Voting.--All voting Directors of the Board shall have
equal voting rights.
(F) Terms; vacancies.--
(i) Terms.--The term of service of each Director may not
exceed 5 years and is renewable for not more than 1
additional 5-year term.
(ii) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the membership of the
appointed Directors of the Board--
(I) shall be filled in accordance with the bylaws of the
Foundation;
(II) does not affect the power of the remaining appointed
Directors to execute the duties of the Board; and
(III) shall be filled by an individual selected in
accordance with the bylaws of the Board.
(G) Quorum.--A majority of the current membership of the
Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of
Foundation business.
(H) Meetings.--
(i) In general.--The Board shall meet not less frequently
than twice per year.
(ii) Authority.--The Board shall maintain full control and
decision making authority of the Foundation.
(iii) Removal.--Any Director may be removed from the Board
if--
(I) the Director is absent from 2 consecutive regularly
scheduled meetings without reasonable cause; or
(II) the Board, by a majority vote of the other Board
members, determines that such Director should be removed from
the Board.
(I) Reimbursement of expenses.--Directors of the Board
shall serve without pay, but may be reimbursed for the actual
and necessary traveling and subsistence expenses incurred by
such members in the performance of their duties on behalf of
the Foundation.
(J) Not federal employees.--Appointment as a Director of
the Board shall not constitute employment by, or the holding
of an office of, the United States Government for purposes of
any Federal law.
(K) Duties.--The Board shall--
(i) establish bylaws for the Foundation;
(ii) provide overall direction for the activities of the
Foundation and establish priority activities;
(iii) carry out any other necessary activities of the
Foundation;
(iv) hire and evaluate the performance of the Executive
Director of the Foundation; and
(v) take steps to limit the Foundation's administrative
expenses to the extent practicable and in accordance with
industry standards.
(L) Bylaws.--The bylaws of the Foundation shall require the
Board to establish--
(i) policies for the selection of Directors of the Board,
Members of the Board of Advisors, and officers, employees,
agents, and contractors of the Foundation;
(ii) policies, including ethical standards, for--
(I) the acceptance, solicitation, and disposition of
donations and grants to the Foundation; and
(II) the use and disposition of the assets of the
Foundation;
(iii) policies that subject all employees, fellows,
trainees, and other agents of the Foundation (including all
of the Directors of the Board and all of the Members of the
Board of Advisors) to prevailing conflict of interest
standards for the industry;
(iv) the specific duties of the Executive Director of the
Foundation;
(v) policies for winding down the activities of the
Foundation upon termination, including a plan--
(I) to return unobligated appropriations to the Department
of the Treasury; and
(II) to donate unspent private and philanthropic
contributions to projects that align with the goals and
requirements described in this Act; and
(vi) specific policies and requirements governing project
criteria, measurable outcomes, impact evaluations, and
country eligibility requirements.
(2) Board of advisors composition.--
(A) In general.--The nonvoting Board of Advisors may be
composed of, at a minimum--
(i) members of the executive branch of the Federal
Government from departments and agencies with expertise that
would benefit the Foundation;
(ii) the Secretary of State, or the Secretary's designee;
(iii) the Chief Executive Officer of the United States
International Development Finance Corporation, or his or her
designee; and
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(iv) 2 deans or other designated faculty members of United
States land-grant colleges or universities that have an
international agriculture program.
(B) Duties.--The Board of Advisors shall provide advice and
consultation to the Board in accordance with the bylaws of
the Foundation.
(C) Removal.--The Board of Directors may remove an Advisor
from the Board of Advisors by majority vote.
(3) Procedures.--
(A) Initial meeting.--The Board shall hold its initial
meeting not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(B) Organizing principles; appointment of executive
director.--The Directors of the Board shall name an Executive
Director of the Foundation not later than 120 days after the
date of the initial meeting of the Board.
(4) Executive director; staff.--
(A) Executive director.--The Board shall hire a qualified
individual to serve, at the pleasure of the Board, as the
Executive Director of the Foundation.
(B) Foundation staff.--Officers and employees of the
Foundation--
(i) may not be employees of, or hold any office in, the
United States Government;
(ii) shall be appointed without regard to the provisions
of--
(I) title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in
the competitive service; and
(II) chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such
title, relating to classification and General Schedule pay
rates; and
(iii) shall receive a salary that is commensurate with the
salaries of similar positions in similar foundations.
(5) Limitation; conflicts of interests.--
(A) Political participation.--The Foundation may not
participate or intervene in any political activities on
behalf of any candidate for public office in any country.
(B) Financial interests.--All Directors of the Board,
Advisors, officers, and employees of the Foundation are
subject to industry standard conflicts of interest protocols
set forth in the Foundation bylaws.
(f) Corporate Powers and Obligations of the Foundation.--
(1) General authorities.--The Foundation--
(A) may conduct business throughout the States,
territories, and possessions of the United States and in
foreign countries;
(B) shall have its principal offices in the Washington,
D.C. metropolitan area; and
(C) shall continuously maintain a designated agent in
Washington, D.C. who is authorized to accept notice or
service of process on behalf of the Foundation.
(2) Authorities.--In addition to powers explicitly
authorized under this Act, the Foundation, in order to carry
out the purposes described in subsection (d), shall have the
usual powers of a corporation headquartered in Washington,
D.C., including the authority--
(A) to accept, receive, solicit, hold, administer, and use
any gift, devise, or bequest, either absolutely or in trust,
or real or personal property or any income derived from such
gift or property, or other interest in such gift or property;
(B) to acquire by donation, gift, devise, purchase, or
exchange any real or personal property or interest in such
property;
(C) unless otherwise required by the instrument of
transfer, to sell, donate, lease, invest, reinvest, retain,
or otherwise dispose of any property or income derived from
such property;
(D) to complain and defend itself in any court of competent
jurisdiction (except that the Directors of the Board shall
not be personally liable, except for gross negligence);
(E) to enter into legal arrangements with public agencies,
private organizations, and persons and to make such payments
as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of such
contracts or arrangements; and
(F) to engage in funding activities, which may include
structured or project financing, grants, equity (provided
that returns flow back to the Foundation), and concessional
lending, for eligible projects, in accordance with subsection
(h).
(3) Federal funds.--
(A) In general.--The Foundation may--
(i) hold Federal funds made available, but not immediately
disbursed; and
(ii) use any interest or other investment income earned on
such Federal funds to carry out the purposes of the
Foundation under this section.
(B) Limitation.--Investments by the Foundation made with
Federal funds may only be made in--
(i) interest-bearing obligations of the United States; or
(ii) obligations guaranteed as to both principal and
interest by the United States.
(4) Limitation of public liability.--The United States
shall not be liable for any debts, defaults, acts, or
omissions of the Foundation. The Federal Government shall be
held harmless from any damages or awards ordered by a court
against the Foundation.
(g) Outcome-based Funding, Safeguards, and
Accountability.--
(1) Outcome-based funding.--
(A) In general.--The Foundation shall establish a funding
strategy that sets targets based on measurable outcomes to be
improved in populations served through its investments,
including--
(i) identifying and regularly reviewing any such outcomes
that advance the purposes described in subsection (d), such
as increased crop and animal productivity, increased profit
to farmers, or decreased hunger rates; and
(ii) a portfolio, multi-year, approach to Foundation
investments in which the failure of any specific program to
achieve target outcomes is acceptable if the overall
portfolio of projects meets target outcomes.
(B) Financing and evaluation process.--The Foundation shall
establish an efficient and streamlined financing and
evaluation process that--
(i) prioritizes the achievement of defined outcomes;
(ii) assesses risk of corruption and employs a strategy to
counter corruption;
(iii) prioritizes funding ventures with partners that are
primarily locally-based or locally-run organizations,
entities, and businesses that--
(I) achieve such outcomes; and
(II) demonstrate an ability to sustain the financed
project; and
(iv) focuses venture evaluations on assessing such outcomes
and minimizing unnecessary reporting on project activities.
(2) Accountability.--
(A) Impact evaluations.--The achievement of venture
outcomes shall be determined through impact evaluations that
include a comparison group to determine any measured
improvements that are attributable to the funded venture.
(B) Methodology assessments.--Foundation staff may assess
the methodology used by grantees or investees that are
already running impact evaluations to increase efficiency,
and such evaluations may be accepted in place of additional
evaluations.
(C) Dedicated funding.--Any grantee or investee that lacks
impact evaluation capacity may receive dedicated funding to
support in-house evaluations or to contract with independent,
external evaluators.
(D) Third party evaluations.--The Foundation may pay for
third party evaluations of any grantee's project to verify
the results derived from an in-house evaluation.
(3) Safeguards.--The Foundation shall develop, and
incorporate into any agreement for support provided by the
Foundation, appropriate safeguards, policies, and guidelines,
consistent with internationally recognized best practices.
(4) Independent accountability mechanism.--The Foundation
shall establish or contract for a transparent and independent
accountability mechanism, consistent with best practices,
which shall provide--
(A) a compliance review function that assesses whether
Foundation-supported ventures adhere to the requirements
developed pursuant to paragraph (1);
(B) a dispute resolution function for resolving and
remedying concerns between venture implementers regarding the
impacts of specific Foundation-supported ventures with
respect to such standards; and
(C) an advisory function that reports to the Board
regarding ventures, policies, and practices.
(h) Ventures, Financing, and Grants.--
(1) Venture funding requirements.--
(A) In general.--The Foundation shall award funding, which
may include project financing, credit risk insurance, grants,
concessional lending, or credit, in accordance with this
subsection, for eligible projects described in subparagraph
(B) that--
(i) increase agricultural productivity and incomes; and
(ii) ensure food security is achieved and sustained, while
supporting farmers moving beyond subsistence agriculture to
growing higher value crops that can be sold for profit.
(B) Eligible ventures.--A venture qualifies as an eligible
venture if the venture seeks--
(i) to have cost matching from sources other than the
United States Government;
(ii) to incorporate a set of key independently verified
outcomes, which shall be measured by rigorous impact
evaluations, such as measuring attributable increases in
agricultural yields, infrastructure, or any other eligible
use;
(iii) to not substantially duplicate the work of other
funders or institutions or displace current profit-making
ventures;
(iv) to leverage existing infrastructure and community-led
development to allow for the immediate launch of ventures;
(v) to advance the national security interests of the
United States;
(vi) to demonstrate--
(I) the ability to financially and operationally maintain
and build on the outcomes or mission of the venture after the
Foundation funding has ended; or
(II) a plan to strengthen the capacity of, and transfer
skills and technologic tools to, local enterprises,
organizations, or institutions to manage projects and other
funded entities after the Foundation funding has been
expended; and
(vii) to consider projects that meet the highest needs of
food insecure populations based on food security,
agriculture, and malnutrition assessments.
(2) Eligible countries for ventures.--Before entering into
any venture agreement pursuant to this subsection, the Board
shall--
(A) establish criteria to determine whether a country is
eligible to receive funding for such a venture;
(B) identify ventures to receive support that--
(i) advance the national security priorities of the United
States;
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(ii) have demonstrated leadership to modernize the
country's agricultural food systems, in partnership with the
private sector; and
(iii) are committed--
(I) to making policy reforms to help transform, scale, and
build enduring food systems;
(II) to cofinancing and sustaining long-term projects
implemented by the Foundation; and
(III) to collaborating with stakeholders--
(aa) to increase agricultural production and crop yields;
(bb) to scale resilient food systems; and
(cc) to improve food safety, processing, logistics, and
supply chain processes for input and output markets.
(3) Funding authorized.--
(A) In general.--In order to maximize the impact of the
funding authorized under this subsection, the Foundation
should--
(i) coordinate with other international public and private
donors or investors and local organizations active in food
security to the extent possible; and
(ii) seek additional financial and nonfinancial
contributions and commitments for its projects from host
governments and other organizations.
(B) Funding criteria.--Funding awarded pursuant to this
subsection--
(i) shall be provided to ventures that demonstrate
progress, during the funding period, in achieving clearly
identified performance indicators and outcomes defined in the
project agreement, which may include--
(I) increasing agricultural or food production through
agriculture research and the competitive delivery of market-
based financing, distribution and extension services, and
supporting technology commercialization and adoption through
such services;
(II) improving the nutritional status of intended
beneficiaries by--
(aa) increasing the production, availability, and access of
nutritious foods domestically;
(bb) promoting highly nutritious foods, diet
diversification, and nutritional behaviors that improve
maternal and child health; and
(cc) supporting the expansion of producer market
opportunities;
(III) building resilient food systems to help mitigate
against future food shocks among vulnerable populations and
households; and
(IV) identifying additional revenue sources or financing
mechanisms to meet the recurring costs of ventures by serving
as a conduit between institutional investors and the
agribusiness sector; and
(ii) may be terminated if the Board determines that the
country receiving such funding--
(I) is not meeting applicable requirements under this
section;
(II) is not making progress in achieving the key
performance indicators described in the project agreement; or
(III) is not advancing United States national security
priorities.
(i) Prohibition of Support in Countries That Support
Terrorism or Violate Human Rights and of Support for
Sanctioned Persons.--
(1) In general.--The Foundation may not provide support for
any government, or any entity owned or controlled by a
government, if the Secretary of State determines that such
government--
(A) has repeatedly provided support for acts of
international terrorism, as determined under--
(i) section 1754(c)(1)(A)(i) of the Export Control Reform
Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4813(c)(1)(A)(i));
(ii) section 620A(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
(22 U.S.C. 2371(a));
(iii) section 40(d) of the Arms Export Control Act (22
U.S.C. 2780(d)); or
(iv) any other relevant provision of law;
(B) has repeatedly engaged with any organizations
designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the
Secretary in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189); or
(C) has engaged in a consistent pattern of gross violations
of human rights, as determined under section 116(a) or
502B(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C.
2151n(a) and 2304(a)(2)) or any other relevant provision of
law.
(2) Prohibition of support for sanctioned persons.--The
Foundation may not engage in any dealing prohibited under
United States sanctions laws or regulations, including
dealings with persons on the list of specially designated
persons and blocked persons maintained by the Office of
Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury,
except to the extent otherwise authorized by the Secretary of
State or the Secretary of the Treasury.
(3) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of
paragraphs (1) and (2) with respect to any government, or any
entity owned or controlled by a government, by notifying the
appropriate congressional committees of the intention to
exercise such waiver not later than 45 days before the waiver
is scheduled to take effect.
(j) Annual Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date
of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter by
March 31st of any year during which the Foundation is
operational, the Executive Director of the Foundation shall
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report
that--
(1) has been approved by the Board of Directors;
(2) contains the expectations of the year ahead; and
(3) describes--
(A) the goals of the Foundation for the upcoming year,
including areas to increase operational efficiency and
further advance United States policy objectives and national
security;
(B) lessons learned and best practices developed through
projects funded by the Foundation during the prior fiscal
year;
(C) a project specific and a portfolio-level report
describing--
(i) the progress achieved against key performance
indicators and the outcomes described in subsection (g); and
(ii) how such progress will benefit the American taxpayer;
(D) an assessment of--
(i) whether the grant making and financing processes are
effective and expeditious;
(ii) how any necessary additional efficiencies can be built
into future project selection; and
(iii) whether project evaluations are successfully
measuring outcomes;
(E) how the funding and selected projects authorized under
this Act were publicized in the selected country to expand
recognition for the United States; and
(F) an annual financial report from an independent auditor.
(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--Using funds appropriated to the Department
of State to carry out chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq.), the
Secretary of State is authorized to award an annual grant to
the Foundation to enable the Foundation to carry out the
purposes specified in subsection (d)
(2) Cost matching requirement.--Amounts authorized to be
appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be made
available, on a cost matching basis, to the maximum extent
practicable, from sources other than the United States
Government.
(3) Consultation requirement.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
State and the Executive Director of the Foundation shall
consult with the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate,
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives,
and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives regarding the implementation of this Act and
the proposed activities of the Foundation.
(4) Prohibition of use of grants for lobbying expenses.--No
grant funds provided by the Foundation pursuant to subsection
(h) may be used for any activity intended to influence
legislation pending before Congress.
______