Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4693, Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021, which will establish programs and direct the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to carry out activities to prevent and treat malnutrition globally.

This bill would advance targeted and evidence-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of global malnutrition and to improve the coordination of such programs.

Under this bill, USAID must leverage resources to address malnutrition through the Global Nutrition Coordination Plan and its role on the board of directors of the International Development of Finance Corporation.

The Global Nutrition Coordination plan is an interagency effort to strengthen the impact of U.S. investments in nutrition.

USAID must also select countries based on specific malnutrition- related indicators for the purpose of targeting malnutrition prevention and treatment programs.

The plan will prioritize high-need, underserved, marginalized or impoverished communities.

However, countries must display strong political commitment and have existing nutrition strategies already in place, which ensures that the plan to combat malnutrition in a select country will be effective and impactful.

Additionally, USAID may:

establish the Nutrition Leadership Council to coordinate activities to prevent and treat malnutrition;

target resources and nutrition interventions to the populations most susceptible to severe malnutrition, and otherwise support efforts to prevent and treat malnutrition globally;

coordinate activities among partner countries, United Nations agencies, civil society, private sector actors, and others to, for example, build capacity in partner countries to sustain nutrition interventions.

USAID would also be required to provide Congress with an implementation plan and annual reports concerning the programs for treating and preventing malnutrition.

As a senior Member of the House of Representatives and the founding chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I believe this bill is vital for preventing and treating malnutrition around the world.

We must ensure continued focus on multi-sectoral nutrition programs, while monitoring these interventions to ensure effective use of American taxpayer dollars.

I commend the USAID maternal and child nutrition programs that seek to improve health outcomes by implementing nutrition-specific interventions, and those that address the immediate, health-related determinants of undernutrition.

It is no secret that poverty amplifies the risk of malnutrition.

People who are poor are more likely to be affected by different forms of malnutrition.

Furthermore, malnutrition increases health care costs, reduces productivity, and slows economic growth, which can perpetuate a cycle of poverty and ill-health.

Malnutrition can have several negative and deadly effects such as decreased cognitive development in newborns, greater vulnerability to disease and other issues.

Optimizing nutrition early in life, especially from the 1,000 days from conception to a child's second birthday ensures the best possible start in life, with long-term benefits.

According to UNICEF, nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 are attributable to undernutrition.

Every year, the world loses hundreds of thousands of young children and babies to hunger-related causes.

Women, infants, children, and adolescents are at particular risk of malnutrition.

I would be remiss if I stood here today without addressing the global impact of COVID-19 on malnutrition.

The significant and life-altering shocks created by the pandemic and efforts to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 have resulted in the disruption of food systems.

This has also upended health and nutrition services which has devastated livelihoods, as well as threatened food security.

These necessary containment measures have unfortunately caused more vulnerable children to face malnourishment.

By the end of this year nearly 14 million more children are likely to be severely malnourished because of the pandemic's impacts.

This means that 58.9 million young children--or almost the whole population of South Africa--will likely face life-threatening malnutrition if the global community doesn't act.

The pandemic revealed the already existing brutal food insecurity struggles in many nations while triggering economic recessions and jeopardizing access to food.

The combined impacts of environmental factors, COVID-19 and political conflicts place malnutrition as an overwhelming concern in the global community.

I ask my colleagues to join me in voting for H.R. 4693 because with this bill we are committing ourselves to improving the health of women and children in impoverished areas, helping prevent illness, and improving economic conditions in poorer countries.

Every parent deserves the opportunity to put nutritional food on the table to take care of their families.

By supporting these effective nutrition interventions, we unlock the ability to begin investing in the well-being, growth, and productivity of our generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4693) to advance targeted and evidence-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of global malnutrition and to improve the coordination of such programs, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4693.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4693, the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021.

In the wake of COVID-19, we have seen malnutrition rates climb and food insecurity become an ever-greater challenge. Jarringly, it is predicted that disruptions to global food and health systems will double global malnutrition rates--double--with women and children bearing the brunt of those effects. It is estimated that in 2022 the devastating global effects of COVID-19 could add an additional 17 million severely malnourished children worldwide. We cannot stand by while millions of children's lives are on the line with COVID, climate change, and conflict worsening the global situation. That is why the Foreign Affairs Committee took action with H.R. 4693 which will direct USAID to implement solutions to prevent and treat this global malnutrition.

This bill establishes a nutrition leadership council to identify populations most at risk to severe malnutrition and to prioritize prevention and treatment programs. Preventing and treating malnutrition is relatively inexpensive to implement and has high returns. With every $1 we spend, we improve health and increase cognitive

and physical development yielding the equivalent of a $35 return.

By coordinating activities throughout the U.S. Government with our partner countries with the Untied Nations' specialized agencies, civil society, private-sector actors and more, we can sustain nutrition interventions that save lives.

This bill also requires USAID to provide Congress an implementation plan and annual reports concerning its programs for treating and preventing malnutrition.

Mr. Speaker, we must do more to support those in dire need, and we must answer their call for help. H.R. 4693 is this Chamber's opportunity to do just that: to prevent the lives of those suffering from malnutrition all around the world. This measure builds on the work and jurisdiction of USAID and will bolster efforts to respond to and prevent malnutrition everywhere.

While the United States has led the world in responding to COVID-19 and its effects around the world, we must also ensure we don't lose ground in longstanding investments such as food security. By supporting this legislation we can take a meaningful step in doing both.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure so we can move it one step closer to the President's desk, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

The United States has a long tradition, on a bipartisan basis, of dealing with the issue of food insecurity and malnutrition. Herbert Hoover led some of the early efforts by the United States Government after World War I to feed a starving Europe. He even provided food assistance to the Bolshevik regime in Russia because we understood that malnutrition didn't respect political ideology or labels.

Through the Food for Peace program in the early Kennedy and Johnson years, there was cooperation between the late Senator Bob Dole and the late Senator George McGovern to make sure that both domestic and international food security were staples of U.S. policy and bipartisan support.

This is an important piece of legislation. No child in 2022 should ever be malnourished, and certainly, no child should ever die from malnourishment.

This is an important statement by this Congress about our values as human beings and as a society and reaffirms a longstanding commitment by the American people to not let this kind of tragedy happen anywhere.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, as we speak, millions of women and children are on the brink of starvation around the world. An estimated 3.1 million children perish every year due to malnutrition. In fact, almost half of the deaths among children under the age of 5 are linked to malnutrition, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. In the 21st century this tragedy should be prevented.

This bipartisan bill will support efforts to scale up targeted and effective nutrition programs in countries most at risk for severe malnutrition. That will help us have a real impact on people's lives around the world.

Fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the administration's chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan have compounded global humanitarian crises. Coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever we must do everything we can to advance lifesaving nutrition programs, and that starts with a strong and effective USAID who has the tools it needs to ensure no child dies from malnutrition.

Every parent wants to be able to put food on the table, nourish their families, and provide for themselves. Support for low-cost, effective nutrition interventions mean an investment in the health, development, and productivity of the next generation of children, and I urge my colleagues to support this important measure.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, in addition to the crises in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia, the COVID-19 pandemic has erased years of progress towards ending extreme poverty. It has pushed more people into severe food insecurity and malnutrition and has destabilized fragile states. This legislation will help us reclaim lost ground in the battle against hunger and malnutrition.

USAID plays a pivotal role in helping nations across the globe combat hunger and poverty. The agency, alongside our NGO and private-sector partners, has helped secure nutrition stability for expectant mothers and young children along with countless others in need, but more must be done to truly end starvation.

I want to thank members of the advocacy community, especially Bread for the World and RESULTS, for their continued support of this legislative effort.

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful we can continue the long history of bipartisan cooperation to help those in need around the world, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 453, H.R. 4693.

I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. President, I ask that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon table with no intervening action or debate.

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