Washington, D.C. – Bread for the World applauds President Obama’s optimism about the future and his call to ensure everyone has a fair shot at opportunity and security. Bread for the World believes that with strong U.S. leadership, we can end hunger by 2030.
“Tonight, President Obama used his last State of the Union address to express his optimism about the future,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “Bread for the World shares this optimism. We are inspired by the vision of a world without hunger. The world has made great strides against hunger and poverty over the past few decades. With U.S. leadership, we can end hunger within a generation.”
Over the past seven years, Bread for the World has worked with the White House and Congress to achieve impressive victories for people living with hunger and in poverty. Domestically, these include expanding and making permanent the earned income tax credit, and fending off efforts to cut funding for poverty-reduction and nutrition programs.
Internationally, Bread for the World has worked with the administration on the Feed the Future program and the 1,000 Days partnership to scale up maternal and child nutrition – making the U.S. a world leader in fighting hunger and malnutrition. President Obama said, “Leadership depends on the power of our example.” That includes poverty-focused foreign assistance.
“Let’s hope that members of the 114th Congress use their remaining time to work together,” added Beckmann. “There are three pieces of legislation lawmakers can pass right now to help end hunger. These are the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, a strong child nutrition bill, and the Global Food Security Act.”
