Relating to efforts to respond to the famine in South Sudan.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished lady for her commitment and this very important resolution, and the opportunities to meet with her and advocate as she convenes the South Sudan and Sudan Caucus and works as the ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Africa, with our chairman, Mr. Smith; and, of course, I thank Mr. Royce and Mr. Engel, leading the full committee; and those who came to the floor, Mr. Crowley, and certainly Mr. Payne, who has a legacy that he is holding in such high esteem by his own leadership.

I was in South Sudan with the late Congressman Donald Payne as the right to return was implemented, and the individuals who were fleeing Sudan came with joy and tears. As they exited the buses that were bringing them in, they clearly were joyful. This was a homecoming.

We look forward to a great recognition of the assets and minerals and various wealth that Sudan, South Sudan could have to help all of its people and even to try and help those still in Darfur even though in Sudan.

We met with the then-President and Vice President, who have now turned it into an enormous conflict and rising up against each other and killing and causing people to flee.

And so I want to congratulate Congresswoman Bass for this resolution, for us to be on record relating to efforts to respond to the famine in South Sudan. And I take this moment just to read this story about a woman who is an example of what the fear and fright is:

``By day, Mary Nyarac scours swamps for fish and edible water lilies. When darkness falls and South Sudan's militias retreat to their bases, she and hundreds of others fleeing a 3-year civil war slip onto dry land and tend crops to stave off famine.

``Prowling hyenas pose a threat during Nyarac's nighttime harvests, but they worry her less than the armed men who can appear in daytime, the 20-year-old said as she sat beneath neem trees in the northern county of Leer, one of two areas in South Sudan where the United Nations in February made the world's first declaration of famine since 2011. She and other residents are facing a catastrophe that's being echoed by looming mass food shortages in Somalia, Yemen, and northern Nigeria.''

This is devastating--an article in Bloomberg News--100,000 in those counties, 5 million all throughout Sudan and South Sudan, but it is in all of Sub-Saharan Africa.

So I believe that this resolution brings all of us together-- Republicans and Democrats--and makes the statement of the United States House of Representatives, then on to the Senate, and then for the President to make the statement, as Congresswoman Bass so aptly states in this resolution, to let humanitarian aid come in. Let there be food that will reach those starving, and particularly the children, that are apt to die in this region.

It is well-known, as well, that women are not treated in the way that they should be, and I look forward to working with Congresswoman Bass on H.R. 48 that deals specifically with the rights of women and providing them with human rights and women's participation in leadership. That is certainly missing.

But now people are starving, and so I would ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 187, relating to efforts to respond to the famine in South Sudan and be reminded of Mary, who scours swamps for fish and edible water lilies, if at all possible, and fears the onslaught of violence during the day. They cannot live this way. They can only die this way.

Mr. Speaker, support H. Res. 187 so that we can save lives.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the South Sudan Caucus, and the sponsor of H.R. 48, the ``Equal Rights and Access for the Women of South Sudan Act,'' I rise in strong support of H. Res. 187, a resolution directing the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to increase emergency assistance to respond to the famine in South Sudan.

On February 20, 2017 famine was declared formally in two counties of Unity State, which is located in the northern region of South Sudan.

The United Nations currently estimates that more than 100,000 people in two Unity State counties are directly affected by the famine.

In addition, food security experts are concerned that famine will spread.

According to expert analyses, in the absence of urgent humanitarian action, as many as 4.9 million South Sudanese, about 40 percent of the country's population, face the grim and certain prospect of starvation.

In 1998 the region suffered from a famine spurred by civil war and approximately 70,000 to several hundred thousand people died during that famine.

Although South Sudan has previously experienced wide-spread food insecurity, the present famine crisis is different because it is almost entirely man-made.

South Sudan is the world's newest nation, located in the center of Africa and bordered by six countries.

It is rich in oil, but following decades of civil war it is also one of the least developed regions on earth--only 15% of its citizens own a mobile phone and there are very few tarmac roads in an area larger in land mass than Spain and Portugal combined.

This makes the Nile River, which flows through regional centers, an important transport and trade route.

Since South Sudan overwhelmingly voted to break away from Sudan in 2011, the government's main concern has been to get oil flowing following disagreements with the regime in Khartoum.

There have been a few small armed rebellions, border clashes and deadly cattle feuds but these have all taken place far from the capital city of Juba.

Signs of friction within the governing party, Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), came when President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, the country's largest group, fired his deputy Riek Machar, who is from the second largest tribe, the Nuer.

President Kiir believes Mr. Machar was behind a coup plot to oust him and seize power.

Mr. Machar denies the accusations, but has publicly criticized Mr. Kiir for failing to tackle corruption and vowed to challenge President Kiir for leadership of the SPLM.

It is not clear what led to the breach in their relationship but what started out as a political squabble has escalated into ethnic violence.

The loyalties of the South Sudan army are divided with each of the principals commanding significant military support and forces loyal to each man have clashed around the country.

And some of the most intense fighting has taken place in areas where famine is most severe.

Compounding matters, Mr. Speaker, South Sudan is awash with guns after decades of conflict and there is a history of ethnic tension for politicians to exploit if they believe that could help them gain, or remain in, power.

It is against this backdrop that USAID is coordinating proactively and closely with the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, and others to address South Sudan's food insecurity.

Complicating this situation is the fact that while the Government of South Sudan has reportedly promised access to the most at-risk areas, humanitarian organizations remain unable to provide vital food, water and shelter in many locations.

Mr. Speaker, the actions of South Sudan Government in prohibiting humanitarian assistance from getting to starving communities has undermined the most proactive attempts by the United States and others to address what has now become a famine.

H. Res. 187 calls on South Sudan's leaders to put their petty disputes aside and to put the well-being of their people first.

The resolution condemns all threats and violence against civilian populations and aid workers, including the over 70 humanitarian aid workers killed since the conflict began and the brutal attack by the South Sudanese military on humanitarian aid workers, including Americans, at the Terrain Camp in July 2016.

In addition, H. Res. 187 expresses support for the efforts of the United States Government, working with partners in the international community, including the United Nations, the African Union, and the European Union, to facilitate humanitarian access to affected areas, and encourages greater diplomatic pressure on the parties to return to the negotiation table to stop the violence, and to allow full humanitarian access to displaced and starving populations, and to cease violations of humanitarian principles.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, let me conclude by observing that while bringing an end to the civil war and humanitarian relief the famine- stricken in South Sudan must be our first order of business, it is also very important to note that all of us who worked to secure its independence want the country to succeed and become a productive and constructive member of the community of nations.

That is why I have reintroduced the ``Equal Rights and Access for the Women of South Sudan Act'' (H.R. 48), which promotes the human rights of women in South Sudan as the country transitions to a long-term government and to ensure women enjoy the right to participate fully in the political and economic life of the country.

Despite its newly won independence women in South Sudan continue to face brutal violations of their human rights.

A lack of infrastructure as well as gender inequality has the potential to regress much of the progress that has been made in South Sudan.

Such a lack of human development factors only furthers the marginalization of women in South Sudan:

1. Inadequate health care has resulted in high maternal and infant mortality rates in South Sudan; the maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in the world with 1,054 deaths per 100,000 live births.

2. Additionally, literacy rates for women are staggeringly low; over 80% of women and girls in South Sudan are illiterate.

3. The violence stemming from the conflict has led some traders to suspend their market presence resulting in food commodity price increases as much as 30 percent in high-conflict regions.

The ``Equal Rights and Access for the Women of South Sudan Act'' puts equal rights and access for the women of South Sudan at the forefront by:

1. Encouraging the appointment of women to high level positions within Republic of South Sudan Government;

2. Ensuring that a significant portion of United States development, humanitarian, and relief assistance is channeled to local and United States-based South Sudanese organizations, particularly South Sudanese women's organizations;

3. Providing long-term financial assistance for primary, secondary, higher, nontraditional, and vocational education for South Sudanese girls, women, boys, and men;

4. Providing financial assistance to build health infrastructure and deliver high-quality comprehensive health care programs, including primary, maternal, child, reproductive, and mental health care;

5. Requiring military training regarding the protection, rights, and particular needs of

women and emphasizing that violations of women's rights are intolerable and should be prosecuted; and

6. Taking all necessary steps to ensure that internally displaced South Sudanese women are directly receiving food aid, shelter, relief supplies, and other services from United States-sponsored programs.

Mr. Speaker, as a nation, we should support the Republic of South Sudan in its efforts to become a freer, more equitable society that respects, supports, and endorses the rights of women.

I look forward to working with Congresswoman Bass, the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, members of the South Sudan Caucus, and all Members of the House to pass the ``Equal Rights and Access for the Women of South Sudan Act'' and send it to the President's desk for signature.

But before we can do that, we must end the man-made famine and alleviate the humanitarian suffering now ongoing in South Sudan.

That is why I strongly support H. Res. 187 and urge all Members to join me in voting for this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 187) relating to efforts to respond to the famine in South Sudan, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, in July of 2011, all of us here celebrated the establishment of the world's newest nation. Finally, South Sudan had emerged after more than 20 years of brutal suppression by the government in Khartoum and a war that saw some of the worst human rights atrocities of our time. They emerged out of that.

Tragically, though, the celebration was short-lived. By December of 2013, a long-simmering rivalry between two leaders--South Sudan's ethnic Dinka President and ethnic Nuer Vice President--exploded in violence, and South Sudan became embroiled in yet another deadly civil conflict.

Today, over 100,000 people are starving to death; 5.5 million people--half of the population--are at risk of starving by July; and 3.6 million people have been displaced by conflict and famine with 7,000 newly displaced South Sudanese crossing the Ugandan border each and every week.

In February, famine was declared in two of the areas that have experienced the heaviest fighting.

Let's be clear: the famine unfolding across South Sudan is completely manmade. The leaders who have unleashed this horror upon the citizens that they are meant to represent--Salva Kiir and Riek Machar--have plundered billions of dollars in oil revenues and donor investment, manipulated ethnic tensions, and armed proxy militias. They have, as we can share with you, recruited child soldiers, killed U.N. peacekeeping forces, and forcibly displaced millions of their citizens--civilians who have been run from their homes.

Lifesaving humanitarian supplies have been looted by the government and by the opposition. The government has blocked humanitarian access through bureaucratic manipulation and through sheer brute force. Humanitarian workers have been deliberately targeted. They have been abused, raped, and murdered with impunity. Yes, humanitarian workers. South Sudan is now the most dangerous place in the world for humanitarians.

It is also the most dangerous place for their own citizens because they are treated the same way by these two so-called leaders. And those South Sudan leaders have, in effect, become exactly

like the government in Khartoum that their people fought against for decades.

This is appalling. This is unconscionable. It cannot stand. Congress, working with our Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, and many other concerned countries, must make sure those who bear responsibility for this calamity are held to account through sanctions and other tools.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), the ranking member of the Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee, for introducing this timely and important resolution, which seeks to bring attention to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in South Sudan, because in South Sudan it gets worse by the day. It has not mattered what arguments we have brought to bear against the President and the Vice President. Many world leaders and many of us have had these arguments face-to-face.

This resolution makes clear that the U.S. Agency for International Development should have the flexibility to tailor their response by using market-based food aid where appropriate, and U.S. commodities where needed. We need to ensure that food is not being used as a weapon in this civil war, and flexible food aid can help.

I urge all Members to join me in supporting this resolution and, more importantly, in continuing to demonstrate the compassion of the American people through lifesaving humanitarian assistance. Deep, arbitrary cuts to U.S. humanitarian assistance programs at a time when we are facing famine in four countries beset by violence--including countries where we are fighting designated terrorist groups--would be reckless and irresponsible. Millions of lives are hanging in the balance. It is in the U.S. interest to respond in South Sudan, just as it is in these other countries.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, many of us knew President John Garang who tragically died after many years of trying to secure freedom for the people of South Sudan, tragically died in a helicopter crash.

He was the father of his country. He was also one who always championed peaceful coexistence among the tribes in South Sudan. He was very different than obviously the current competing warlords for that position.

I had worked with Don Payne's father. Don Payne, Jr., spoke of this issue of the genocide resolution. We passed that resolution through this House together. As a matter of fact, we brought it before the Human Rights Council. Don Payne and I traveled up to New York to raise this issue.

What is shocking to us about the current circumstances in South Sudan is the effort being undertaken by the world community in order to try to step in and provide some measure of peace. Of course, we have talked today about what has happened to the people of South Sudan, what has happened to our own aid workers there.

But if we reflect for a minute that Rwandans have lost their lives there, when we were dealing with this genocide issue in Sudan, we took Don Cheadle, the actor who portrayed Paul Rusesabagina, who was also with us on that trip.

We went into Sudan in order to document the genocide that was going on, to speak to some of the survivors. We brought in a Nightline camera crew.

Yes, we have, in this case, brought the world community along to a certain extent. But here is part of the tragedy: those Rwandan peacekeepers were slaughtered in South Sudan. So were Chinese peacekeepers. So were Indian and Kenyan and Fiji and Danish peacekeepers. So were Egyptian and Ethiopian and Bangladeshi peacekeepers. So were Benin and Burkina Faso, and Chad and Mongolia. So were peacekeepers from Nepal and Nigeria and Norway, and the Philippines and Pakistan.

And this is the kind of attitude that we see from these warlords against their own people and against others who try to come in to keep the peace.

And this is why, frankly, in addition to this resolution, it is time--and I know the support is there in the Security Council, I know now there is the support--to cut off the arms and the ammunition going in to South Sudan that helps fuel these warlords.

We have heard the passion and dedication of Congresswoman Bass of California. Of course, she has worked with Mr. Smith of New Jersey, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, to shine a light on this crisis. As always, I appreciate the assistance of Mr. Engel, the ranking member.

I share the anguish of my colleagues in seeing the aspirations of South Sudan citizens dashed by kleptocrats and warlords, certainly not in the tradition of John Garang, warlords bent on maintaining power at any cost. The blood of countless civilians is on their hands, and the people of South Sudan deserve better.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to recognize the bravery and selflessness of the humanitarians who are working to save lives and bring an end to the suffering that has been imposed upon the people of South Sudan.

I have personally met with humanitarian workers who have been held at gunpoint, who have been threatened, who have been abused in the worst ways. I have met with people who have carried food and medicine on their backs through swamps because there were no roads.

Without their commitment, without their sacrifice, countless lives would have now been lost. And while they don't do this work for the accolades,

they deserve our recognition and thanks here tonight.

I urge Members to join me in honoring them today by supporting this timely resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my strong support for H. Res. 187, Relating to Efforts to Respond to the Famine in South Sudan, as amended, which passed out of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and has received bipartisan support.

As always, Mr. Speaker, I thank and appreciate the leadership of Chairman Royce, Chairman Smith, and Ranking Member Engel.

The United Nations has declared what is going on now in four countries as potentially the worse humanitarian crisis since the U.N. was formed in 1945. Famine has been declared in one country, and three others are at risk of famine. Famine might be averted in Somalia if the rains come. In Nigeria and Yemen, famine might be averted if the world acts in time.

But South Sudan, which is the world's newest nation, is currently experiencing famine. The United Nations defines famine as meaning over 20 percent of the population has access to only 2,100 calories per day. Thirty percent of children are malnourished. And 2 to 4 people die per day because of lack of food. Tragically, South Sudan meets all three conditions.

Over the years, the U.S. has played a leadership role in the region. The U.S. has helped South Sudan throughout their struggle for independence, and has tried to help the world's newest nation over the last several years before and during the conflict.

The tragedy is the people of South Sudan are in the midst of a famine, not because of a drought or other natural disaster, but because of ongoing conflict. There is heavy responsibility on all sides of the fighting. There is no innocent party here.

In South Sudan, the U.N. has reported roughly 5 million people who are in urgent need of food and nutritional assistance. There are almost 2 million internally displaced persons in camps in South Sudan, and 2,400 South Sudanese refugees arrive in Uganda every single day.

If the world does not act, 5 million people will be at risk for starvation by mid-2017. Without urging humanitarian intervention, more civilians will continue to die from acute malnutrition, and millions more will remain at risk.

If we fail to act prior to the upcoming rainy season, which is May to August, this will create additional problems that will further impede humanitarian efforts. Unfortunately, the areas where famine has been declared have also seen some of the most intense fighting.

The amendment to H. Res. 187 calls for USAID to continue providing desperately needed and locally appropriate food aid through the Food for Peace and Emergency Food Security Programs, and calls on the Government of South Sudan to declare and observe a cessation of hostilities to allow food and essential supplies to reach affected civilians.

The resolution urges the Government of South Sudan to allow immediate and unrestricted humanitarian access to the southern unity region, where the famine is currently underway.

The amendment also condemns all threats and violence against civilian populations and aid workers, including over 70 humanitarian aid workers that have been killed since the conflict began.

The resolution condemns the brutal attack by the South Sudanese military on humanitarian aid workers, including Americans at the Terrain Camp in July of last year.

The resolution condemns the multiple instances in which security forces have looted humanitarian assistance destined for civilians in need, and supports the effort of the U.S. Government working with partners in the international community, including the U.N., the African Union, and the European Union, to facilitate humanitarian access to affected areas, and encourages greater diplomatic pressure on the parties to return to the negotiation table to stop the violence and to allow full humanitarian access.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley), my good friend and Democratic Caucus chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), my good friend and colleague and the chair of the Nigeria Caucus.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Suozzi), my fellow colleague on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers. I propose to close.

Mr. Speaker, this crisis can be stopped in its tracks. There is no need for millions to die. The world needs to step up as it did in the Ebola crisis.

The U.S. needs to continue to lead. Our contribution is vital and is based on the size of our economy and the fact that other countries who are not as fortunate contribute in different ways. But the entire world should and does participate.

In 2011, 200,000 people had to die in Somalia before the world took notice and acted. This should never happen again.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for an ``aye'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairman for yielding and for his leadership. I especially thank my good friend and colleague, Ms. Bass, for this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, last August, my staff director Greg Simpkins and I visited Juba, South Sudan, to press President Salva Kiir, his Vice President, the minister of defense, and five of his top generals to end the civil war, protect innocent lives, and reverse the conditions causing rampant disease and severe malnutrition that could soon lead to a famine.

Mr. Speaker, just 2 months ago, famine was formally declared in South Sudan. I especially asked President Kiir to personally intervene and issue and enforce an executive order of zero tolerance on rape and sexual abuse by his soldiers and security personnel against mostly humanitarian aid workers and civilians. I told the President that it was unconscionable in the extreme that South Sudanese soldiers had raped, beaten, and murdered humanitarian aid workers in July at the Terrain compound. One of those workers that was sexually assaulted, as it turned out, was from my own district. I didn't know until 3 days before leaving on that trip that she was in the compound and came close to being raped and it was the intervention of other forces that precluded her from suffering that horrible trauma, but she was, indeed, severely traumatized.

I asked him for a review to hold people to account and put them in prison--yes, there have been arrests, but there have been no prosecutions yet--and, again, to issue a zero tolerance policy.

On March 28, I chaired a hearing on the famine and the growing crisis in South Sudan, which is also being chaired by some of the other neighboring countries in the region.

Matt Nims, the acting director of the Office of Food for Peace testified that for 3 years the international community has employed massive efforts to stave off famine in South Sudan. Yet, as conflict intensified, the food security situation continued to deteriorate. And he said:

This is a man-made crisis and the direct consequence of

prolonged conflict.

Ken Isaacs, the vice president of Samaritan's Purse--and Samaritan's Purse has an extensive footprint in South Sudan doing unbelievably great humanitarian work--testified:

The most significant driver of the current crisis in the

worst hit areas of South Sudan, however, is the political

insecurity and brutal conflict that continues to engulf

the region. In South Sudan alone, 1.85 million people have

been internally displaced because. Because of this, many

people are calling this a man-made famine, and it is hard

to argue with that assessment.

Today, the United Nations reports that two-thirds of South Sudan's population requires humanitarian assistance, and almost 5 million people--more than 40 percent of the population--are in urgent need of food, agriculture, and nutritional assistance.

Clearly, the Government of South Sudan and the rebels they face are more interested in winning and holding territory than in finding ways to feed and nurture their people and allow humanitarian access. Two months ago, there were 70 humanitarian-access incidents reported, causing suspension of operations in multiple locations. Aid workers are being targeted in South Sudan, where eight Samaritan's Purse workers were kidnapped and later released in February, and six African aid workers in South Sudan were killed in March.

Stephen O'Brien, the head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, accused South Sudan's Government of blocking foods and medicines and restricting U.N. peacekeepers from protecting civilians. He described active hostility, access denials, and bureaucratic impediments to humanitarian organizations serving that beleaguered nation. This is a manmade crisis. This resolution puts us on record and, again, encourages our administration and the world to do more to end it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me. I want to recognize the bipartisan support for this resolution. It heartens me. I know of the great work of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass) for quite some time, as well as others on the other side of the aisle, on this issue.

She, along with the Sudan Caucus, the Africa Subcommittee, and the CBC Africa Task Force have been working every day in a very tenacious way to draw attention to this issue and demand a strong international response.

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that this is a crisis. I agree with my colleague and friend from New Jersey (Mr. Smith): it is a manmade crisis.

The United Nations is reporting that the current situation in a number of countries in Africa and the Middle East constitutes the most serious humanitarian crisis since its founding over 70 years ago. In South Sudan alone, 100,000 people are in a state of famine as we speak, and up to 5 million more are in serious danger of being in famine. These are men, women, and children who are in danger of not having enough food and water.

The simple fact is, without international aid and assistance, people will die--many people will die. But it doesn't have to be this way. The world is smart enough and resourceful enough to ensure that the worst of this tragedy can be prevented before the situation gets further out of hand, but it is going to take a full-court press by this administration, by the State Department, and by the international community.

I grew up in Queens, New York, in an Irish-American family. At an early age, I learned of the Great Hunger in Ireland that killed more than 1 million people and forced more than 2 million more to flee. Those Irish didn't have to die just because a potato crop went bad.

In Ireland at the time, food was actually being exported out of Ireland while people starved. So it was starvation not only because of food loss, but also because of politics and repression--very much the same situation that exists in parts of Africa and in Yemen--and only politics could ultimately change the underlying conditions in Ireland.

Now, we need both aid and political pressure to help stop this famine and all of the ongoing famines now. So I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation. I urge that the State Department: Seize the bull by the horns and take action. Don't let history look back on America and say: Why did you not do enough while millions starved? Let history reflect the goodness of the heart of the American people, which I know exists.

To this day, the people of Ireland remember the sultans from the then-Ottoman Empire that helped. They remember the Choctaw Nation, who gave $700 during the 1840s to help the starving Irish.

Let America be that shining country in the future when Africa looks back and says: Who was there to help? Let it be America. That is the American way. Working with our allies, America will succeed in preventing this famine if we move expeditiously.