Trump nominates Green for USAID and Giancarlo for CFTC
President Trump asked the Senate to put former Wisconsin Rep. Mark Green in change of the U.S. Agency for International Development and to formally name Christopher Giancarlo, now the acting chair, as chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Green is former U.S. ambassador to Tanzania and a member of the board of the Millennium Challenge Corp., a U.S. foreign aid agency focusing on global poverty.
U.S. must step up global campaign against hunger, says Chicago Council
For its own security as well as global welfare, the United States must strengthen its commitment to ending hunger and malnutrition, says a report issued by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs at its annual food security conference. The think tank's call for U.S. leadership contrasted with the Trump administration's proposal to focus on "the highest-priority areas" of food, disaster and refugee aid "while asking the world to pay their fair share."
Former South Carolina governor to head World Food Program
David Beasley, governor of South Carolina from 1995-99, will become executive director of the UN World Food Program on April 4, succeeding fellow American Ertharin Cousin for a five-year term, announced UN Secretary General António Guterres. The WFP describes itself as the world's largest antihunger agency, assisting 80 million people annually.
Kansas governor to become U.S. ambassador for food and ag
Second-term Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback will be named U.S. ambassador to UN agencies on food and agriculture in Rome, says Kansas Public Radio, based on information from "a former high-ranking government official." There was no immediate comment from the governor's office and KPR quoted an unnamed source as saying the appointment was "a done deal."
Obama bolsters his foreign-aid legacy with Global Food Security Act
President Obama signed the bipartisan Global Food Security Act of 2016 yesterday, steering $7 billion toward agricultural development and hunger-relief efforts around the world, and ensuring that both public and private operations would continue to work together to fund these efforts in Africa and other food-insecure regions.
Senate confirms Smith as AID chief
The Senate confirmed Gayle Smith as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development on a 79-7 roll call, seven months after she was nominated by President Obama, said The Hill newspaper.
Rajiv Shah says he will leave USAID in early 2015
The head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Rajiv Shah, announced he will leave the agency early next year, said the New York Times. Shah served briefly as an agriculture undersecretary before becoming USAID administrator in 2010.
Food-aid reform bill ends US origin, cargo preference rules
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.