The world is hungrier than ever — and for some United States lawmakers, that means both their country and others need to pick up the slack.
“It’s one thing for us to ask our taxpayers to do more, and we do,” said Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland, speaking at a hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning. “But it’s also important that the global community responds to the food crisis that we have.”
Today, more than 330 million people face acute levels of food insecurity, with places from Gaza to Sudan on the brink of famine. At the same time, the World Food Programme is confronting the worst funding shortfall in the organization’s history — forcing the agency to reduce food, cash, and nutrition programs in nearly half of its global operations.
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
