Congressman Panetta Leads House, Senate Members in Calling for Strong Funding for Global Food Security in Anticipated COVID-19 Legislation

SALINAS, CA – Today, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20) led Congressman Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15), Congressman James McGovern (D-MA-2), Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), in calling on House and Senate leadership to include strong funding for global food security efforts in future COVID-19 response legislation. The letter highlights how COVID-19-related disruptions to global food supply chains disproportionately impact already vulnerable populations, particularly in developing countries.

"As producers across the central coast of California and the country continue to deal with disruptions of the supply chain, they still are committed to feeding those who need it the most nationally and internationally. In fact, the United States is poised to deliver lifesaving assistance to food insecure communities around the globe so that they can survive this pandemic and thrive in the future," said Congressman Panetta. "That's why our government should leverage the full capacity of our international food assistance programs to support communities in every part of the world."

Prior to COVID-19, over 135 million people across 55 countries were already living in crisis levels of food insecurity. The World Food Program (WFP) estimates that another 130 million people could be pushed into acute hunger by COVID-19 this year, for a total of 265 million men, women and children facing crisis levels of hunger. The letter, joined by several members of the House and Senate Hunger Caucuses and the House Food and Medicine Working Group, requests robust funding for the Food for Peace program and key humanitarian accounts to ensure the United States continues to meet international commitments to global food security.

Read the letter here.