Congressmen Krishnamoorthi and Blumenauer Call on Biden Administration to Scale-Up Response to Global Food Insecurity

WASINGTON D.C.– Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) are urging the Biden Administration to scale-up its response to the global food crisis made more dire by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In a letter signed by 36 members of the House of Representatives, they call for at least $200 million from the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act to boost the procurement and distribution of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) in countries whose populations are increasingly at risk of famine and severe malnutrition.

Despite Congress having appropriated $7.22 billion to-date to provide humanitarian relief in Ukraine and countries impacted by the situation in Ukraine, many countries are experiencing steep increases in famine-like conditions driving malnutrition and death. In regions where extreme drought, global supply chain disruptions, and inflation are persistent, millions of children are at risk of suffering the most severe form of acute malnutrition, known as wasting.

"With Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine dramatically escalating the already growing dangers of global food insecurity, I was proud to join with my colleagues in our bipartisan letter urging the Administration to dedicate additional funding to preventing famine and mass malnutrition among the world's most vulnerable. As extreme drought continues in many regions of the world and the supply chain and inflation repercussions of the pandemic continue, effective American action is essential for preventing further mass suffering," said Congressman Krishnamoorthi.

"More than ten million children need emergency malnutrition treatment today, and the situation will only become more serious as the war in Ukraine drags on," Congressman Blumenauer said, "Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food is an inexpensive, simple to make, simple to use treatment that is made from American agricultural products. It is critical that we immediately invest in Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food to forestall this worsening humanitarian catastrophe."

RUTF is ranked as one of the most effective child survival interventions, but is vastly underfunded and under-prioritized by the international community. Globally, only 25 percent of children suffering from wasting have access to this life-saving treatment. The United States is already one of the world's largest and most cost-efficient producers of RUTF and the agricultural inputs needed to produce it, which include peanuts, soy protein, dairy, vegetable oil and sugar.

A copy of their letter is available here.