For Immediate Release
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KOHL BOOSTS U.S. COMMITMENT TO INTERNATIONAL FOOD AID IN SUPPLEMENTAL BILL

5/14/09

  

Senator increases funding for humanitarian relief by $400 million

 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee today approved Sen. Herb Kohl’s proposal to increase funding for the “Food for Peace” program by $400 million to meet acute and growing hunger needs around the world.  Kohl included the funding in the FY09 Supplemental Appropriations bill, bringing the total for “Food for Peace,” or PL480, to $700 million.  Last month, Kohl met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to assess the additional demands anticipated for food relief this year.  Kohl also raised the issue with Secretary Clinton at an Appropriations Committee hearing on April 30th, at which time the Secretary acknowledged that food crises around the world have worsened.

 

“America has long been a world leader in its commitment to providing food aid to those who suffer from starvation, and American agriculture can play a central role in the solution to global food security,” Kohl said.  “From all accounts, this funding is necessary to stave off food shortages that have been worsened by civil unrest and climate challenges.”

 

Kohl is Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations panel with jurisdiction over the country’s two major international food relief programs, PL480 and the McGovern-Dole program for child nutrition.   

 

Kohl is working toward a coordinated, government-wide application of public and private resources to combat global hunger in a sustainable way and in a manner that promotes the U.S. national security agenda.   He continues to emphasize that U.S. agriculture and USDA programs can make contributions to this effort through long-standing relationships with the nation's land grant university network and other partners.