On the recordMay 1, 2025
Mr. Speaker, I rise for the third time to call for funding for global emergency food aid to be restored. For years, USAID funded the production of ready-to-use therapeutic foods at Edesia Nutrition in my district. The food that was manufactured there has been shipped across the developing world, saving the lives of 25 million children since 2010, until funding for new orders was halted by the Trump administration earlier this year. This is not just about saving lives. This food aid has also strengthened America's national security and commercial interests. In the same country where this ready-to-use food has saved the lives of children, the United States relies on cooperation on a range of issues from counterterrorism to access to critical minerals. When the administration pulled back on this food aid, China and our other adversaries were happy to swoop in to win hearts and minds across the developing world. Our Nation is safer and more competitive as a result of our goodwill toward others. So I rise the third time to urge the White House and my colleagues in Congress to restore funding to protect America's global leadership. ____________________





