WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (Kan.) and Bob Casey (Pa.) – 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.

“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.”

“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 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, Sens. Moran and Casey 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. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

On March 4, Sen. Moran urged USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to prioritize using U.S. agricultural export assistance and international food aid programs to help supply markets left unfulfilled as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to utilize resources currently available in the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust to meet the unanticipated global hunger crisis.

On March 23, Sen. Moran and Sen. Brown co-authored an op-ed calling for the BEHT to be utilized to meet growing hunger needs abroad.  

On March 24, Sen. Moran spoke on the Senate floor to call attention to the growing world hunger crisis.
  

# # #