As U.S. lawmakers struggle to reach an agreement to renew the farm bill this year, numerous programs governing international food aid hang in the balance.
The five-year bill, which determines U.S. agriculture and nutrition policy, expired in 2023 and was extended into September 2024. Lawmakers are still hammering out the new bill, which could top $1 trillion for the first time in history. But negotiations have stalled and the farm bill has been pushed to the backburner as Congress deals with more pressing legislation.
The largest international aid program at stake is Food for Peace, which provides U.S.-grown commodities as both emergency and nonemergency food aid abroad. Meanwhile, a separate proposed bill — the American Farmers Feed the World Act — would gut a provision of the farm bill and place restrictions on Food for Peace that advocates say would make its nonemergency food programs unworkable.
About the author
Rebecca Holland
Rebecca Holland is a reporter currently based in Louisiana. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Independent, The Advocate/Times-Picayune, and more. She was a Pulitzer fellow in 2021 and has reported from dozens of countries. Previously, Rebecca was based in Iraq and Jordan.
