Global Food Security Act of 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Global Food Security Act, H.R. 5656, is a bipartisan bill with 21 cosponsors, including Betty McCollum, our lead Democrat, who has worked very hard on this issue.

I would also like to thank House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, Ranking Member Eliot Engel, Ranking Member Bass. I would like to thank Jeff Fortenberry, who has played a key role, as well as Erik Paulsen and, again, other Members who have joined across the aisle to work on this legislation and to work on the language.

I also want to thank the staff that worked tirelessly on this. In particular, Jenn Holcomb, Kelly Stone from Congresswoman McCollum's office; Joan Condon, Katy Crosby, and Janice Kaguyutan from the full committee; and from my own staff, Pierro Tozzi. Thank you so much for your work in helping to make this bill a reality and bringing it to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, this is important legislation which will help provide a long-term solution to global hunger by authorizing and strengthening the existing national food security program coordinated by USAID, commonly known as Feed the Future. This program strengthens nutrition, especially for children during the critical first 1,000-day window--from conception to the child's second birthday. It also teaches small-scale farmers--in particular, women--the requisite techniques and best practices to increase agricultural yield, thereby helping nations achieve food security, which is something that is, first and foremost, humane but also in the national security interests of the United States.

As USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah has pointed out--who, I want to point out, parenthetically, has done a tremendous job as the Administrator of USAID--this program encourages self-sufficiency and operates in targeted countries where the host governments have committed to investing in local agricultural development and to undertaking reforms that allow the private sector to flourish. Its hallmarks are the building of local capacity and sustainability, as well as resiliency in linking local entrepreneurs to the global economy, while boosting transparency and accountability.

The end result of this can be seen in lives saved and in lives enriched. In the past year, the Feed the Future program has helped 7 million farmers across the globe to increase harvests, resulting in improved nutrition for some 12.5 million children. To give one example, in Ethiopia, stunting rates were driven down by some 9 percent in just 3 years, resulting in, roughly, 160,000 fewer children suffering from malnutrition.

Yet, today, even though progress has been made, malnutrition is the underlying cause of death for at least 3.1 million children per year around the world and is responsible for 45 percent of all deaths among children under 5. More than 800,000 babies--one in four newborns--die each year because they are born too soon or they are too small as a result of poor maternal nutrition.

Mr. Speaker, one of the first laws that I wrote over 30 years ago was the Child Survival Fund--a $50 million program that included vaccinating kids to protect against preventable diseases like polio, pertussis, and diphtheria, as well as oral rehydration for kids at risk of death from repeated bouts of diarrheal disease. What we discovered then was that, for mere pennies on the dollar, we could intervene before problems arose, not only saving lives but also saving money in the long term. This Global Food Security Act has the potential to be equally transformative in the lives of so many.

Malnutrition, in addition to death, leads to the stunted growth of children. Stunted children become adults who suffer from diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease--conditions that not only result in poor health but that also impede earning capacity and result in lower incomes. Of particular concern, women affected by stunting give birth to children who are also likely to be afflicted by this preventable condition, perpetuating the cycle of malnutrition and of poverty.

Adequate nutrition for pregnant women, lactating moms, and all women and adolescent girls of childbearing age needs to be prioritized in food policies for the sake of children, women, and, by extension, nations. By ensuring comprehensive prenatal, maternal, and robust support, including nutrition--again, through that first 1,000 days of life--government health workers, civil society, and others will not only prevent many deaths, but children will be stronger, healthier, happier; their immune systems will be boosted; and as they matriculate to adulthood, they will be more prosperous. If women of childbearing age are well-nourished, they are healthier and are able to provide nourishment for their children.

I remember being in so many refugee camps. At a Darfur refugee camp, on one of many trips to Africa, I remember the women there were so concerned that they would be able to breastfeed their children, but they were so malnourished that that was next to impossible. After several weeks, they were able to do so.

I should also add, when these children--healthy children--get this kind of help, it also ensures greater not only physical but cognitive development. Healthy children thrive and are empowered to become healthy adults. Again, they can make, because of that, meaningful contributions to their families and society.

Finally, I note that the program authorized by H.R. 5656 is not only penny-wise, but it is also pound-wise. It is economical in the long run, and it should lead to a reduction in the amount of money we spend on emergency food aid. A comprehensive food security strategy outlined in the bill, as well as in the policy, also helps us to do more with less by leveraging our aid with that of other countries, the private sector, NGOs, and especially faith-based organizations, whose great work on the ground in so many different countries impacts so many lives.

By statutorily authorizing this program, which has its roots in the Bush administration and was formalized by President Obama and, thus, is an example of bipartisan success on both the executive and legislative levels, we are also increasing oversight by requiring the administration to report to Congress.

H.R. 5656 demonstrates, again, strong bipartisan support that does exist for assistance, and it is a strategy that truly gives people the tools to let themselves out of poverty and to live healthier and better lives.

I implore you, my colleagues, to vote in favor of it, and, hopefully, this legislation can become law by the end of this session.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

First of all, I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Vargas) for his leadership. This truly is a bipartisan bill. I want to again say how grateful I am to the gentlewoman from Minnesota, Betty McCollum, to be working with her and her staff. Our staffs are all trying to make sure we have a bill that will make a huge difference not only in putting our arms around the existing program but in strengthening it and taking it to the next level.

I do want to point out that this is about a whole of government strategy: all in on the part of the U.S. Government so that everyone is working on all six cylinders to make sure that sustainable development occurs throughout the world in target countries and, as those targets increase, that it is totally inclusive of women.

When we worked on issues like microtargeting, we found--particularly in most parts of Africa--that women have really stepped up to the plate and have done yeoman's work. They are fully included in this effort.

Again, I want to thank all of my colleagues. I want to thank the leadership, the gentleman from California, Kevin McCarthy, and Speaker Boehner, for making sure that this legislation got to the floor. Our hope is that the Senate may take it up. If not, we will be right back here next year. But I do hope that they will take it up because delay is denial. This is an important piece of legislation that will save lives.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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