The following letter signed by 131 organizations and companies, including American Maritime Officers and American Maritime Officers Service, was sent to Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, and to the Rules Committee; the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration; and the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs in response to legislative amendments that would eliminate or significantly cut funding for the Food for Peace Title II and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education programs. Under U.S. cargo preference laws, U.S.-flagged merchant ships carry a minimum of 50 percent of U.S.-government impelled food-aid cargoes.
Each year our nation’s international food aid programs, including P.L. 480 Title II Food for Peace, Food for Progress and McGovern-Dole International Food for Education help reach millions of vulnerable people around the world. These programs have enjoyed significant bipartisan support for more than 65 years. We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to support these programs in fiscal year 2024 agriculture appropriations and reject several amendments to this year’s spending bill that would eliminate or significantly reduce funding for the Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole programs (Biggs 5, Biggs 6, Good 82, Good 101, Ogles 89, Ogles 91, and Ogles 58).
Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole not only benefit their recipients, but also U.S. economic and national security interests. Food aid, in all its forms, is made available through these programs usually bearing the U.S. flag and/or marked “from the American people.” By furthering stability in fragile countries and sparking hope in countless people who are struggling to survive, U.S. strategic interests are protected and expanded. Ultimately, these kinds of foreign assistance programs help create a firm foundation for vulnerable communities to grow and prosper, which is why many former food aid recipient countries are now among the most important U.S. trading partners.
Our organizations stand united in our belief that U.S. food aid programs are among the world’s most critical foreign assistance programs, save countless lives, bolster our nation’s global security, and help millions in need around the world. We urge you to reject the Biggs, Good, and Ogles amendments and instead support our nation’s food aid programs.