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Mann introduces bill to maintain US products in global food aid programs

A bill that’s been introduced into the US House would require that US-grown commodities are included in international food aid programs.

Kansas Representative Tracey Mann tells Brownfield the goal of his legislation is simple. “To be sending not money, but to be sending commodities because it benefits our ag producers, US shippers and it benefits the people that receive it on the other end.  We’ve seen a drifting away from that.”

The American Farmers Feed the World Act would restore the original intent of the Food for Peace program without sending additional farm bill resources. 

Mann says the bill would provide transparency and accountability by ending reliance on cash transfers overseas and reducing overhead costs. “I have concerns about being able to have transparency exactly where that money goes, what it does in that country, but we don’t benefit our US ag producers because part of the intent of this is to create demand for our products.”

John Garamendi (D-CA), Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) are co-sponsors of the legislation.

The National Association of Wheat Growers says the bill would allow wheat farmers to share their production and contribute to the fight against global hunger.