A non-profit wants congress to make permanent, a government program focusing on hunger. But will they pass the bill before congress ends in December?
Feed the Future is a U.S. government program to help develop agriculture in 19 countries in Asia, Central America, and Africa. Every year, congress votes to continue to fund this program. David Beckmann is president of ?Bread for the World?, a DC non-profit. He said it?s important for U.S. agriculture to invest in these poor countries.
?U.S. Agriculture with it?s amazing productivity helps feed the world. It also relies on the world to be a dynamic customer. USDA reports more than half of U.S. exports go to developing countries and they project developing countries will be the main source of growing demand for food,? Beckmann said.
Beckmann said Feed the Future depends on the Global Food Security Act pending in congress. Neither of Iowa’s senators have signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill. He does not think they are opposed to it but Iowan’s need to ask them to support the measure.
?This isn?t like one of the top things every senator is thinking about. There are like 3,500 bills that go through congress every year. Partly it is up to citizens to ask Senator Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst. Both Iowa senators are on the agriculture committee so they are important to this issue,? Beckmann said.
He said this legislation passed in the House unanimously in the last congress. It had to be reintroduced in this congress because the Senate could not agree. Currently, 88 House members co-sponsors the bill and the Senate has 10.
