WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) – co-chairs of the Senate Hunger Caucus – today applauded the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to utilize the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust to address the global hunger crisis.
“As Putin’s war rages in Ukraine, people around the world are facing food and fertilizer shortages exacerbated by the conflict,” said Sen. Casey. “I applaud the decision to utilize the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust to provide millions of dollars in food assistance to support vulnerable countries feeling this pain. We have to continue to meet the challenge of worldwide hunger head on and work to prevent the devastating impact of hunger and malnutrition around the globe.”
“The consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are being felt around the world as countries that relied on Russia and Ukraine for food are now facing widespread hunger,” said Sen. Moran. “Feeding hungry people is – most importantly – the morally right thing to do and will foster goodwill and political stability in countries facing famine, hunger and starvation.”
The Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust was created to purchase U.S. commodities to respond to unanticipated food crises abroad. Secretary Vilsack announced the food assistance will be going to Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.
On January 24, Senators Casey and Moran led a bipartisan group of senators in urging the USDA and USAID to release resources within the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust. The letter was also signed by Sens.Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and John Boozman (R-AR).
