Restoring Lifesaving Food Aid for Malnourished Children

Floor Speech

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Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise for the 35th time today to call on the Trump administration to restore lifesaving food aid for malnourished children.

As a reminder, back in January, Elon Musk and Donald Trump halted shipments of lifesaving food aid to children around the world who need it to survive.

This is Plumpy'Nut, a peanut paste that is made specifically to treat children who are starving to death. When children are starving, their organs shut down. Even if food is provided to them, they cannot process traditional food. They need this. This is their only chance at life.

Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago, Congress appropriated, on a bipartisan basis with Democrats and Republicans, over $1 billion to get lifesaving food aid and other aid to children around the world.

This was produced in American factories with supplies that came from American farmers. The money was already approved. The money was already spent.

Thousands of boxes of this lifesaving food aid is now sitting in warehouses, including in my district in Rhode Island, because Donald Trump and Elon Musk stopped the program. It is already paid for. It is already produced. There are children starving around the world waiting for this lifesaving aid, and it is sitting in warehouses while children starve.

Congress came back and appropriated more funding for fiscal year `25, $200 million plus. The Trump administration sat on that funding, as well. Why? Interestingly, the administration for the last 8 months has insisted that they intend to restart this program. They have said, yes, it is coming back. They started saying that within the first few weeks. Elon Musk tweeted about it. Marco Rubio swore under oath that they were going to restart this program, but it has been 9 months. Where is the urgency?

Finally, a few weeks ago, Edesia Nutrition, the organization in my district that produces this food aid, received new orders from the State Department after 9 months. That is welcomed news, but the days and weeks are continuing to tick by, and they still have not been told where to ship this food aid to.

There is a lesson here. It is very easy for any idiot, any billionaire, who has never worked in government to go in and destroy a program, but then it is hard to rebuild it afterwards. In the meantime, children are starving to death, needlessly.

My message to the administration, once again, is to act with purpose, to act with urgency, to follow your own word, and to honor your commitment. The administration has said they were going to restart this program. They have awarded new contracts. Literally, all they have to do is hit a button and restart the shipments. That is all they have to do.

It has been 9 months. These kids cannot wait a day longer. Let's restart the aid, disburse the funds, ship the food, and save the children. I will speak on this floor every day until you do. Honoring the Life and Legacy of Judge Frank Caprio

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Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a true Rhode Island original and hero, Judge Frank Caprio.

Born to Italian immigrants in 1936, Frank was raised in the proud neighborhood of Federal Hill in Providence, Rhode Island. His family, like so many in Rhode Island and across the country, valued hard work and service.

Frank served on the Providence City Council and had a distinguished legal career before being appointed to the Providence Municipal Court as a judge in 1985, a career on the bench that would span nearly four decades.

During this time, Judge Caprio became renowned for his sense of compassion and fairness in the courtroom, which eventually made him an international television star and a beloved example of compassionate leadership across the world.

I will tell you, I still have friends and family from all over the country, people I meet when they hear I am from Rhode Island, they ask about that judge.

In 2000, Judge Caprio launched his show ``Caught in Providence'' on WLNE-TV in Rhode Island so that Rhode Islanders could see how the nicest judge in the world works up close and personal.

In 2018, the show gained national syndication reaching audiences across the entire United States and the world. Judge Caprio's show was nominated for four Emmys, and clips from ``Caught in Providence,'' showcasing his humanity, garnered billions of views on social media.

Through his work on the bench, Judge Caprio has inspired countless people to treat others with kindness and empathy. My thoughts are with his family, his loving wife, his five children, his grandchildren, and everyone whose life has been touched by his work.

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