Sen. Moran Speaks on the Senate Floor about the Importance of Combatting Global Hunger

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) - co-chair of the Senate Hunger Caucus - today spoke on the Senate floor about the history and of the Food for Peace program and the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program and the importance on continuing these programs. Sen. Moran introduced legislation earlier this year to move administration of Food for Peace to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

"American farmers are linked to global markets and by extension to the well-being of people everywhere," said Sen. Moran. "Two of our nation's most successful programs for delivering American-grown food to the hungry around the world are Food for Peace and the Dole-McGovern Food for Education program, both rooted in my home state of Kansas."

"The mission of these programs is more urgent now than ever," continued Sen. Moran. "In 2023, more than 735 million people around the world faced chronic hunger; that's one out of every 10 people on the planet. Food security also contributes to our national security. When governments cannot feed their own people chaos and violence often follow. Food assistance provided by the United States leads to greater stability in regions of the world that are important to America's interests."

"For years, Food for Peace has been hampered by bureaucratic delays, mismanagement and abuse within USDA," said Sen. Moran. "The inefficiency of USAID hasn't just wasted taxpayer dollars - it's weakened the reach and effectiveness of some of our most vital humanitarian aid programs. Thanks to its extensive infrastructure and hands-on experience in both domestic and international operations, the USDA is uniquely positioned to manage Food for Peace."

"It was Kansas farmers who came up with the idea for Food for Peace as a moral and commonsense solution to prevent excess American food from going to waste and using it to feed the hungry across the globe," concluded Sen. Moran. "For 70 years, the United States of America has made the difference between life and death for millions of people around the world and has made circumstances better for farmers here at home."

Last week, Sen. Moran discussed his legislation with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and USDA's willingness to take on the administration of the Food for Peace program.

Click HERE to watch Sen. Moran's full remarks

# # #