The House gave final congressional approval, 359-53, to a bill that calls for a comprehensive U.S. strategy to reduce hunger and malnutrition in developing nations. President Obama praised passage of the bill, which makes permanent the Feed the Future program, an early initiative of his administration.
Passage of S1252 was the culmination of three years of legislative work. It directs the administration to write a global food-security strategy that uses a “whole of government” approach, including the food security and hunger relief programs of the State and Agriculture departments. It includes a $1 billion authorization for State Department food and hunger programs for fiscal 2017 and 2018, said The Hagstrom Report.
In a statement Obama said, “With the continued effort and support that this legislation provides, we can achieve what was just a few years ago the unimaginable: We can end global poverty and hunger within our lifetimes.”