Two senators unveiled a bill that would remove two long-standing rules for U.S. food aid – that almost all the food be U.S.-grown and U.S.-flag vessels carry half of the donated food. The senior members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Bob Corker of Tennessee and Democrat Chris Coons of Delaware, said their plan could free up to $440 million annually to buy food and deliver it faster than current law. An additional 7-9 million people could be aided, they said
Their proposal is similar to an Obama administration plan first raised two years ago. It was opposed by agribusinesses, farm-state lawmakers, maritime groups and a portion of international aid groups. Advocates say shipping adds up to 50 percent of the cost of food aid and there are times when it is faster and cheaper to buy food near a hunger spot than to ship it from America. The Corker-Coons bill would allow food aid money to be used on U.S. food, regionally sourced food, vouchers or cash transfers, whichever works best.