World Food Program USA Applauds Support for International Food Assistance Programs in American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
World Food Program USA applauds President Biden’s signing of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which includes robust funding for key international food assistance accounts. The reconciliation package, passed by the House of Representatives on March 10th and the Senate on March 6th, includes $800 million for the Title II Food for Peace program and $3 billion for International Disaster Assistance programming.
These accounts traditionally support the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in their efforts to protect vulnerable people around the world from the scourge of hunger.
As we approach the one-year anniversary of COVID-related lockdowns and quarantine measures, one thing has become abundantly obvious: The global poor have become poorer and the hungry hungrier as a result of the pandemic. COVID-19 has caused crisis levels of food insecurity to spike around the world, thrusting millions of people into extreme hunger, many for the first time.
This support from the American people is both timely and much needed. This year alone, the U.N. World Food Programme estimates budget shortfalls exceeding $5 billion. The United States has long led global efforts to eliminate hunger in all of its forms; this bill is the latest act in that long, bipartisan legacy that stretches across Pennsylvania Avenue from Congress to the White House.
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About World Food Program USA | The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
World Food Program USA, a 501c(3) organization based in Washington, DC, proudly supports the mission of the United Nations World Food Programme by mobilizing American policymakers, businesses and individuals to advance the global movement to end hunger. Our leadership and support help to bolster an enduring American legacy of feeding families in need around the world. To learn more about World Food Program USA’s mission, please visit wfpusa.org/about-us.
Media Contact: Toula Athas, Communications Director, WFP USA, tathas@wfpusa.org
