Mann, Moran Sponsor Bills to Secure Safe Harbor for Food for Peace Program at USDA

By Tim Carpenter

TOPEKA — Two Kansas Republicans pitched legislation to safeguard the Food for Peace program by moving management of the international humanitarian aid from the embattled U.S. Agency for International Development to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran recommended the program — initiated by President Dwight Eisenhower, amplified by President John Kennedy and championed by U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas — be relocated to USDA.

The switch was a response to action by President Donald Trump to dismantle USAID amid allegations the agency was mired in corruption. Elon Musk, who leads the Trump-created Department of Government Efficiency, said USAID had to be shut down because it was “beyond repair.” Administrative chaos led to a pause and resumption of USAID food aid, while thousands of USAID employees were targeted for layoffs.

Moran and Mann, along with several Republican colleagues in Congress, introduced bills in the Senate and House to provide a safe harbor for Food for Peace. The program has been relied on to combat hunger for 70 years by feeding 4 billion people in more than 150 countries.

Moran said food aid had proven its value in fostering political stability abroad, bolstering U.S. national security and providing markets for U.S. crops.

“As part of an ongoing effort to save money and increase efficiency, Food for Peace should be moved to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” Moran said. “By moving this program closer to the producers who grow these crops, we can help reduce waste and make certain our farmers have access to this valuable market.”

Mann lauded Trump’s review of federal spending in search of wasteful use of tax dollars. At the same time, Mann said, the goal should be to preserve programs, such as Food for Peace, beneficial to U.S. farmers as well as hungry people in other countries.

“For 70 years, Kansas and American farmers have played an active role in sending their commodities to feed malnourished and starving populations around the world,” Mann said. “This free gift from the American people is more than food. It’s diplomacy and feeds the most vulnerable communities while helping them recognize the freedom, prosperity and good America can establish across the globe.”

Bean, corn, soybean, rice, sorghum, peanut and dairy associations endorsed maneuvering in Washington, D.C., to keep Food for Peace operational by transferring it to USDA.

“Kansas farmers take great pride in Food for Peace and the impact the program and American commodities have had on feeding the world,” said Chris Tanner, president of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers.

Adam York, CEO of the Kansas Sorghum Producers Association, said sorghum farmers had sought through changes in presidential administrations to maintain a seat at the table of international food programs. He said sorghum was a critical crop for food security and policymakers ought to “continue prioritizing American agriculture as a solution to challenges in domestic and foreign policy.”

U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Kansas Republican not among sponsors of the House bill regarding Food for Peace, said the public ought to be frustrated by wasteful decisions at USAID.

He said USAID, which had a $40 billion annual budget, spent $20 million for an Iraqi version of Sesame Street, $2.5 million for electric vehicles in Vietnam and $6 million for tourism in Egypt.

“It should be outraging that some of the agencies have gotten away with this ludicrous spending for so long,” Estes said. “If we eliminate this sort of spending in USAID, it will help make sure the programs that actually align with our national interests, and which Kansans and Americans benefit by participating in, will continue.”

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