Chair Cardin Remarks at Global Food Security Hearing

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered an opening statement at a full Committee hearing on “Global Food Security,” where he highlighted the need to address global food insecurity, including by tackling the climate crisis, and reiterated how the United States can continue to be a leader in encouraging global partners to expand and enhance collective efforts.

“Our nation must continue to take the leadership role, which is why it is critical we get the supplemental security funding passed, including food assistance for millions of people,” said Chair Cardin. “Thanks to the generosity of American farmers, we are saving lives around the world. I believe American action will inspire other nations and the international community to do more. We all must do more.”

WATCH THE CHAIR’S OPENING REMARKS HERE

More information about the hearing is available here.

A copy of the Chair’s remarks, as delivered, have been provided below.

Today, more people are desperate to find their next meal. More families are choosing to migrate in search of food. More children are going to sleep hungry. According to the World Food Program—47 million people are living on the edge of famine. And 333 million are facing crisis levels of hunger.

In recent years, food insecurity has been at its highest level since World War II. This is not isolated to one country or one continent. From Burma to Ukraine, from Haiti to Syria, conflict and violence keeps people from getting enough to eat. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is dire and getting worse. I have said this before—we need to get more aid to innocent Palestinians.

We need to deliver it safely and quickly. I welcome the Administration and our allies taking new steps to alleviate the suffering, but airdrops alone are simply not enough. Of course, it is not just war that is creating this global crisis, the effects of climate change are devastating the world’s food supply. Fresh water and cultivatable land are scarcer and they are fewer in recent years.

Extreme weather events—like the severe flooding we saw in Pakistan in 2022—have destroyed millions of acres of farmland around the globe. We cannot isolate ourselves from this crisis. And yet last year, the World Food Program faced a 60% funding shortfall—the largest in its history.

I want to thank Senator Coons who is continuously bringing these tensions to all of us—the need for additional resources. And he has an incredibly difficult challenge considering the limits that have been placed on the appropriation bill that he is the chair of. And I thank him again for his advocacy on behalf of these issues.

This shortfall has meant cutting food rations in the most desperate places in the world. And when people go hungry, instability often follows. I believe strongly—as many of my colleagues in both parties do, as well—that food security is a human right. It’s as important as democratic governance to preserving stability and security.

That is why it is in the U.S. national security interest to solve the climate crisis. I’m pleased that the Biden Administration has made food security a priority. It is critical we support programs like Feed the Future—the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative—and the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils. We need to incorporate state-of-the-art forecasting data to understand threats and changes to food security.

Our nation must continue to take the leadership role. Which is why it is critical we get the supplemental security funding passed, including food assistance for millions of people. The supplemental includes so many important areas, but one of the most important areas is the humanitarian assistance that was included in the supplemental that passed the Senate.

Across the American political divide, you can see an interest in stepping up with critical food aid. But even as we race to get people food before they go hungry, we must recognize that solving global food insecurity means making serious, long-term investments. Strengthening food systems and the resilience of growers around the world. Getting American-generated climate models and forecasts to communities in the Global South so they can plan for the changing environment.

Helping America’s land grant universities and agricultural research centers play a larger role. And working with the international community to take up innovations and accelerate approaches that we know work. Thanks to the generosity of American farmers, we are saving lives around the world. I believe American action will inspire other nations and the international community to do more. We all must do more.

So, I want to thank our witnesses for appearing before us today to give us their valuable help in what we can do to alleviate this crisis. I hope they too can give us the insight on how to best tackle this problem.

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