U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., thanked President Donald Trump for signing into law bipartisan legislation he introduced to extend life-saving food security programs for another five years.
 
Isakson and U.S. Senator Bob Casey, D-Pa., introduced the bipartisan Global Food Security Reauthorization Act in December 2017. It passed both the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives by voice vote on June 19 and Sept. 28, respectively. The senators introduced the original Global Food Security Act, which became law in 2016 and streamlined the whole-of-government approach to addressing hunger and food insecurity across the globe. Thursday’s bill signing keeps the program in place through 2023.
 
“I appreciate President Trump’s willingness to join us in this life-saving effort that is a smart investment in our national security,” said Isakson, a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. “Ultimately, the global food security strategy is about helping developing countries achieve self-reliance through research, the use of new technologies and agriculture development. Food insecurity leads to instability and violence, so helping our neighbors abroad bolsters our security by strengthening U.S. influence and fostering stability. This program is designed to ensure a maximum return on our foreign assistance and also allows our farmers and researchers in Georgia to share their knowledge and benefit from these investments.”
 
Specifically, the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act will:

·         Require the administration to keep a whole-of-government strategy to address global food insecurity and hunger. The strategy emphasizes agricultural development, maternal and child nutrition, community resilience and civil society engagement.

·         Ensure the alignment of U.S. assistance with country-owned strategies to enhance agricultural productivity, household income, local economies, and food and nutrition security to work toward the ultimate goal of transitioning countries and communities away from the need for U.S. assistance under this act.

·         Improve upon existing monitoring and evaluation practices to ensure the effective use of U.S. taxpayer dollars. This includes a requirement for the Government Accountability Office to issue a report in 2019.

·         Require that the administration report to Congress and to the American people annually about the strategy, its results and the use of foreign assistance funds.

·         Authorize appropriations through 2023 to carry out international development assistance programs and activities under the strategy.
 
In August 2017, Isakson and U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga.-08, hosted a roundtable conversation in Tifton, Ga., engaging food security and agriculture industry experts about research, programs and future opportunities to continue improving and implementing the U.S. global food security strategy. It also highlighted the work of Georgia agriculture and researchers in our nation’s global food security strategy.