Posted June 4, 2014
Two
U.S. senators introduced legislation to end U.S. restrictions on international
food aid programs, which would save hundreds of millions of dollars per year
and provide aid to some 9 million hungry people around the world, according to
an article on Reuters by Patricia Zengerle available here. Yahoo News and
Global post also published Zengerle’s article here and here.
U.S. Senators Bob Corker of
Tennessee, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and
Democrat Chris Coons of Delaware, chairman of the Africa subcommittee,
introduced the Food for Peace Reform Act of 2014.
The program is restricted by laws
requiring most food be produced in the U.S, as opposed to purchased locally,
which results in a higher cost and longer duration to reach people in need.
“At a time when our budget is
strained and U.S. resources are limited, Congress needs to find ways to be more
efficient and effective with every dollar,” Corker said in a statement.
The bill would allow both U.S. and
locally produced commodities, vouchers or cash transfers to be used for aid, whichever
is the most cost-effective option.
The effect on U.S. agriculture would
be small; U.S. food aid contributed only 0.86 percent of total exports from
2002-2011 and only 1.41 percent of net farm income.
The bill would allow the U.S. Agency
for International Development to ship food on any vessels that were available
versus using U.S. cargo preference requirement, which could reduce shipping
rates by 46 percent.
The bill would also end
“monetization,” a requirement that 15 percent of all U.S. donated food be sold
by first aid organizations, which produces cash for funding development
projects.
According to sponsors of the
legislation, eliminating monetization would save 25 cents out of every taxpayer
dollar spent, could feed 800,000 more people, and save $30 million per year.
It would also transfer current food
aid authorities from the farm bill to the Foreign Assistance Act.
For more information on
international law and organizations, please visit the National Agricultural Law
Center’s website here.
