Urge Congress to help the new face of hunger
The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA)
April 2, 2008
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon reported the alarming increase in hunger caused by rapidly rising food prices (“We must recognize new face of hunger — and help,” March 23). In Central America, wheat and corn prices nearly doubled in the past year, causing an estimated 40 percent drop in the calories in an average rural meal. As Ban Ki-Moon indicated, political will and effectively directed resources are urgently needed.
In finishing the U.S. farm bill, Congress should authorize 25 percent of our food aid budget for purchasing food abroad near areas of need. This would reduce shipping costs and time and maximize the amount of food delivered.
Congress also should pass the bipartisan Global Poverty Act, S. 2433, which would significantly improve the effectiveness of our foreign aid. It would focus our aid on reducing hunger and poverty and would coordinate programs overseen by different federal agencies. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, should be urged to co-sponsor the bill, and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, should be thanked for doing so.
Additional aid also is needed. The Senate passed the Biden-Lugar amendment, 73-23, to restore President Bush’s requested $4.1 billion increase to the International Affairs budget. This was an important step toward achieving a needed $5 billion increase in aid. We now spend only 50 cents of each $100 in the federal budget on povertyfocused development aid. We can do better. As Bush said recently, “The power to save lives comes with the moral obligation to use it.”
Ellen Fisher
Cedar Rapids
