Washington, D.C. – Bread for the World today welcomed the House of Representatives’ passage of the bipartisan Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act (H.R. 4693) and urged the Senate to quickly take up and pass this lifesaving bill. The legislation will make existing U.S. global nutrition programs even more effective and support countries in their efforts to prevent and treat child malnutrition.
“The Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act is a game-changer that will help address malnutrition,” said Rev. Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World. “The act builds on Bread for the World’s decades-long efforts to prevent global malnutrition and will ensure that tens of millions of children have a chance to not only survive – but thrive.”
“Even before the war in Ukraine, malnutrition was responsible for nearly half of all preventable deaths among children under 5 globally. Now, the confluence of the war, COVID-19, climate-change, and conflict in other regions have led to dangerous increases in food and fuel costs and an unprecedented global hunger and malnutrition crisis. Tens of millions of people in Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and so many countries are facing life-threatening famine and malnutrition,” said Cho.
The Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment will bring greater strategic vision, coordination, effectiveness, and accountability to the United States’ existing global nutrition efforts and will help to mitigate and prevent future hunger and malnutrition crises.
The bill was introduced in the House by Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Michael McCaul (R-TX), Chairman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), and Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA). Bread for the World worked with the congressional sponsors to conceptualize and draft the bill. This bipartisan measure has a remarkable 102 House cosponsors, including 66 Democrats and 36 Republicans. Bread members around the country were instrumental in getting their representatives to cosponsor the bill. Watch Rev. Cho’s video message thanking Bread members for their efforts.
“We thank Ranking Member McCaul and Chairman Meeks, and Reps. Kim and Houlahan, for working across the aisle to introduce this legislation, and for the dozens of cosponsors who voted for it. God calls on us to feed those who are experiencing hunger, and right now the need is greater than ever. We now urge senators to cosponsor and pass this lifesaving bill,” added Cho.
