Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthoization Act of 2008

Floor Speech

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Mr. McGOVERN. I thank the chairman, and I ask for time for the purpose of the gentlelady from Missouri and I entering into a colloquy with the chairman on the importance of integrating food and nutrition programs with the prevention, care, and treatment of HIV/AIDS-affected individuals, families, and communities.

Last year, I traveled to Africa and had the opportunity to see firsthand many of our programs related to food security. In Ethiopia and Kenya, I visited HIV/AIDS programs to look at how food and nutrition was included. At that time, I heard from local communities, NGO partners, and our embassy staff how restrictive guidance for global HIV/AIDS assistance often hindered the ability to design and carry out effective food and nutrition programs targeted at HIV/AIDS affected individuals, families, and communities. The lack of resources available for food and nutrition programs within the global HIV/AIDS assistance and from other sources also posed a significant barrier.

I very much appreciate and support the work of the committee in ensuring that this bill addresses these concerns throughout, and especially in the section entitled ``Food Security and Nutrition Support.'' The bill recognizes that strengthening the linkages and enhancing coordination among HIV/AIDS programs and vital development programs, like food and nutrition programs, will significantly increase our effectiveness in the fight against HIV/AIDS while we advance other essential U.S. development priorities. I remain concerned, however, that the bill is less clear on where or how such funding will be provided for these purposes. It is not clear on how much funding will come from the Global HIV/AIDS program versus other sources of funding. I am concerned that, without adequate resources through the Global HIV/AIDS program, or necessary increases for current food and nutrition services through programs like Food for Peace, that USAID will be faced with the possibility of having to divert funding from programs that address long-term chronic hunger and food insecurity to meet the enhanced mandates of H.R. 5501.

I know the chairman will agree that we want to avoid this scenario of robbing Peter to pay Paul so that we do not end up shortchanging other communities suffering from hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity.

I want to yield to the gentlelady from Missouri in this regard.

Mrs. EMERSON. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Madam Chairman, I am also concerned that the situation will become even worse, because the cost of food, commodities, and transportation is skyrocketing. Just last month, on February 12, the USAID's Office of Food for Peace announced that the cost of wheat and other food the United States donates to poor countries jumped 41 percent, 41 percent, in the first half of fiscal year 2008. According to USAID, this means $120 million in food assistance will not be available for people who are malnourished or food insecure.

I would ask the chairman to work on strengthening the language in the bill as it moves through the legislative process and into conference negotiations to clarify how the necessary level of funding for food security and nutrition will be provided, especially in light of rising food and transportation costs, so that funds won't be diverted from U.S. programs addressing chronic hunger and emergency operations.

I yield back to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. McGOVERN. And I yield back to the chairman to express his views.

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman's time has expired.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Chairman, before I respond with my views, I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) to express his views on the subject of this colloquy.

Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Chairman, as you know, the provision on food and nutrition security in the bill currently under consideration is drawn directly from a bill I introduced in December, H.R. 4914, the Global HIV/AIDS Food Security and Nutrition Support Act of 2007. I introduced the bill after chairing a hearing in the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health to determine whether the Global HIV/AIDS program was adequately addressing the nutritional needs of its beneficiaries.

The hearing corroborated what I had already heard in the field on numerous visits to Africa over the past 5 years: PEPFAR is falling short in this critical area. I share the concerns of the gentleman from Massachusetts and the gentlelady from Missouri about the increasing cost of food aid. Just last week, the World Food Program had to issue an appeal for an additional $500 million to offset the increased costs of food and fuel.

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman's time has expired.

Mr. BERMAN. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. PAYNE. Without the extra $73 million, people who rely on WFP for their daily sustenance may have their rations cut. This is a truly alarming situation, and it is not my intent for the provision of this bill to exacerbate it. The language under consideration very clearly states that these activities are to be funded from amounts authorized under section 401 of this bill. I used this language deliberately, as I strongly believe that the food assistance and nutritional support we are providing under the Global AIDS program must be on top of the food aid we are already providing.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Chairman, I yield myself 1 1/2 minutes to respond to the concerns raised during this colloquy. I thank my colleagues for raising these important concerns.

H.R. 5501 provides clear and specific instructions to the USAID Administrator and the Global AIDS Coordinator to address the food and nutrition needs of individuals with HIV/AIDS and other affected individuals, including orphans and vulnerable children; and to fully integrate food and nutrition support in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care programs carried out under this act.

I would like to emphasize that the committee and I personally share our colleagues' concerns about the negative effect rising costs are having on our long-term and emergency food aid programs. This is a matter that has our most serious attention, because it affects a wide array of our food aid and development programs, including the effectiveness and success of this program.

I want to reassure my colleagues that I will be working over the coming weeks to strengthen and clarify in the bill that food security and nutrition programs, especially those referred to as wrap-around services, are not to be funded with monies diverted from other standing commitments to address food and security elsewhere in the world or in these countries.

I yield 30 seconds' additional time to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. McGOVERN. I want to thank the chairman for that assurance. I know that many Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle stand ready to support him in these efforts.

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