Representatives Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) introduced a three-year reauthorization of their Global Food Security Act, reaffirming the United States’ commitment to fighting hunger and poverty worldwide. The bipartisan Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 5129) ensures that the vital Feed the Future Initiative continues through 2021.

This new bipartisan legislation builds upon Representatives Smith and McCollum’s Global Food Security Act of 2016, which formally codified the Feed the Future Initiative and was signed into law in July 2016.

Feed the Future combats global food insecurity by investing in agriculture development and building resiliency in developing countries. By equipping communities with the tools they need to help feed themselves, Feed the Future has increased food and nutrition security for millions of people through improved agriculture production, market access, business development, private sector competitiveness, and nutrition interventions.

“The Global Food Security Act has saved the lives of millions, fighting starvation and malnutrition on a massive scale and it has helped lift families out of poverty through promoting the right agricultural practices,” said Rep. Smith, who shepherded the original bill through the House in 2016 when it became law. “Congress should pass this reauthorization to solidify the great progress made to date and ensure it continues into the future.”

“The life-saving programs carried out through Feed the Future have helped millions of people lift themselves out of poverty, reduced the number of children suffering from stunting by nearly two million, and strengthened local and regional economies in some of the world’s poorest countries,” said Representative McCollum. “I look forward to working with Representative Smith to get this good bipartisan legislation passed and signed into law.”

In addition to Representative McCollum, original co-sponsors of the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2018 include: Representatives Ed Royce (R-CA), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Austin Scott (R-GA), Karen Bass (D-CA), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Erik Paulsen (R-MN), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Dave Reichert (R-WA), Adam Smith (D-WA), and David Cicilline (D-RI).

“We’re encouraged by the bipartisan support for reauthorization of the Global Food Security Act,” said Sam Worthington, CEO of InterAction, an alliance of nearly 200 U.S.-based international nonprofit organizations. “Reauthorization will allow us to continue the great work being done to help fight hunger and support self-reliant and sustainable communities around the world.”

The Global Food Security Act requires the federal government to:

·         Develop a whole-of-government strategy to promote global food security that puts food-insecure countries on a path to self-sustainability

·         Support agriculture-led economic growth, bolster smallholder and women farmers, build resilience to food shocks, and improve maternal and child nutrition

·         Effectively use taxpayer dollars, establish measurable goals, rigorously monitor and evaluate results, and align the food security strategy with broader national goals