Global Food Security Act of 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. VARGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 5656, the Global Food Security Act of 2014.

I would like to begin by thanking Congressman Chris Smith and Congresswoman Betty McCollum for authoring this important legislation, which authorizes USAID's Feed the Future Initiative. I would also like to thank Chairman Royce for working with us in a bipartisan manner to take
this bill up in committee and bring it to the floor.

Around the world, 800 million people suffer from chronic hunger. Malnutrition causes the deaths of 3.1 million children under the age of 5 every year. This is a global crisis. President Obama has made global food security a top priority, and USAID Administrator Raj Shah has done tremendous work in carrying out that policy.

The Feed the Future Initiative focuses on reducing global poverty and hunger in developing countries through agricultural development. This program is only a few years old, but it has already made a real difference in fighting hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.

In 2013, Feed the Future helped nearly 7 million farmers and food producers use new technologies. This initiative has secured more than $10 billion in private sector commitments to African agriculture, the majority of which has been made by African businesses. It has helped bring 3.5 million hectares of land under improved cultivation and management practices. Last year, the initiative reached more than 12.5 million children with nutritional assistance.

The success of this initiative stems, in part, from the collaboration and partnership of more than 10 U.S. Government agencies, the private sector, NGOs, and American universities. By working together, they have helped to advance real solutions to global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.

Most importantly, Feed the Future has generated strong buy-in from partner governments in 19 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa. Each host country is required to put forward a country investment plan and contribute a portion of its own GDP to agricultural development. This model ensures that Feed the Future programs are sustainable and can eventually be transferred fully to the host country.

Despite the gains we have made, there is still a lot of work that has to be done. We need continued American leadership in global food security. We need proven programs like Feed the Future to continue its highly effective work in alleviating global hunger and poverty.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. VARGAS. Mr. Speaker, in closing, the Feed the Future Initiative has been successful in alleviating food insecurity over the last 4 years. This important bill authorizes this proven approach to food security. It is a moral, economic, and security imperative that we continue the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

I think we all need to be thankful for the heart that has gone in here from our colleagues. Certainly we want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey, Chris Smith, and the gentlewoman from Minnesota, Betty McCollum. Their hearts have been in this and fighting for this. They brought us all together. We appreciate that.

And with that, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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