Senate Passes Global Food Security Reauthorization Act

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, June 19, the U.S. Senate passed the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2017 (S.2269) under unanimous consent. The passage of this vital legislation comes after months of work by the InterAction community and a broader coalition of U.S. farmers, universities, and businesses. The bill extends the Feed the Future initiative until 2023 and demonstrates a recommitment by the U.S. Senate to the U.S. Global Food Security Strategy.

The Global Food Security Reauthorization Act passed with bipartisan leadership from Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and with the support of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-TN) and Vice Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ). InterAction thanks these champions of Feed the Future for their tireless work to end hunger and malnutrition.

Since 2011, Feed the Future has reached more than 1.7 million households in target communities around the world, increased agricultural production and yields, and contributed to a 19% drop in poverty in target areas. The Global Food Security Reauthorization Act will increase programmatic connections to nutrition, water, health and sanitation efforts, and help strengthen farmers’ resilience to shocks by providing access to previously out-of-reach markets and technology.

The Global Food Security Reauthorization Act now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives, where a companion bill (HR 5129), cosponsored by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Betty McCollum (D-MN), currently has nearly 75 bipartisan cosponsors.