[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 436 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 436
To respond to the looming global food crisis precipitated by Russia's
invasion of Ukraine.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 15, 2023
Mr. Risch (for himself and Mr. Coons) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To respond to the looming global food crisis precipitated by Russia's
invasion of Ukraine.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLES.
This Act may be cited as the ``Securing Allies Food in Emergencies
Act'' or the ``SAFE Act''.
SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States to respond to the looming
global food crisis precipitated by the Russian Federation's brutal,
illegal invasion of Ukraine beginning in February 2022, which threatens
to destabilize key partners and allies and push millions of people into
hunger and poverty, particularly in areas of Africa and the Middle East
that are already experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity, by
taking immediate action to improve the timeliness and expand the reach
of United States international food assistance.
SEC. 3. STRATEGY TO AVERT A GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS.
(a) Strategy Requirement.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the United States
Agency for International Development, acting in the capacity of the
President's Special Coordinator for International Disaster Assistance
pursuant to section 493 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2292b), shall develop and submit a strategy to the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate and Committee on Foreign Affairs of the
House of Representatives for averting a catastrophic global food
security crisis, particularly in areas of Africa and the Middle East
that are already experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity,
which has been driven by sharp increases in global prices for staple
agricultural commodities, agricultural inputs (including fertilizer),
and associated energy costs.
(b) Considerations.--In developing the strategy under subsection
(a), the Administrator shall consider and incorporate an analysis of--
(1) the impact of the Russian Federation's brutal, illegal
war in Ukraine on the cost and availability of staple
agricultural commodities and inputs, including fertilizer--
(A) globally;
(B) in countries that rely upon commercial imports
of such commodities and inputs from Ukraine or Russia;
and
(C) in countries that are supported through the
United Nations World Food Programme, which heavily
relies upon purchases of wheat and pulses from Ukraine
and has recently reported a price increase of more than
$23,000,000 per month for its wheat purchases;
(2) the correlation between rising food costs and social
unrest in areas of strategic importance to the United States,
including countries and regions that experienced food riots
during the 2007 to 2008 global food price crisis;
(3) the underlying drivers of food insecurity in areas
experiencing emergency levels of hunger, including current
barriers to food security development programs and humanitarian
assistance;
(4) existing United States foreign assistance authorities,
programs, and resources that could help avert a catastrophic
global food crisis;
(5) recommendations to enhance the efficiency, improve the
timeliness, and expand the reach of United States international
food assistance programs and resources referred to in paragraph
(4);
(6) opportunities to bolster coordination, catalyze and
leverage actions by other donors and through multilateral
development banks;
(7) opportunities to better synchronize assistance through
well-coordinated development and humanitarian assistance
programs within the United States Agency for International
Development and alongside other donors;
(8) opportunities to improve supply chain and shipping
logistics efficiencies in close collaboration with the private
sector;
(9) opportunities for increased cooperation with the
Department of State to strengthen diplomatic efforts to resolve
global conflicts and overcome barriers to access for life-
saving assistance;
(10) opportunities to support continued agricultural
production in Ukraine, and the extent to which food produced in
Ukraine can be used to meet humanitarian needs locally,
regionally, or in countries historically reliant upon imports
from Ukraine or Russia; and
(11) opportunities to support and leverage agricultural
production in countries and regions currently supported by
United States international agricultural development programs,
including programs authorized under the Global Food Security
Act of 2016 (22 U.S.C. 9301 et seq.), in a manner that--
(A) fills critical gaps in the global supply of
emergency food aid commodities;
(B) enables purchases from small holder farmers by
the United Nations World Food Programme;
(C) enhances resilience to food price shocks;
(D) promotes self-reliance; and
(E) opens opportunities for United States
agricultural trade and investment.
SEC. 4. EMERGENCY AUTHORITIES TO EXPAND THE TIMELINESS AND REACH OF
UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL FOOD ASSISTANCE.
(a) In General.--Subject to the provisions of this section and
notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Administrator of the
United States Agency for International Development is authorized to
procure life-saving food aid commodities, including commodities
available locally and regionally, for the provision of emergency food
assistance to the most vulnerable populations in countries and areas
experiencing acute food insecurity that has been exacerbated by rising
food prices, particularly in countries and areas historically dependent
upon imports of wheat and other staple commodities from Ukraine and
Russia.
(b) Prioritization.--
(1) In general.--In responding to crises in which emergency
food aid commodities are unavailable locally or regionally, or
in which the provision of locally or regionally procured
agricultural commodities would be unsafe, impractical, or
inappropriate, the Administrator should prioritize procurements
of United States agricultural commodities, including when
exercising authorities under section 491 of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2292).
(2) Local or regional procurements.--In making local or
regional procurements of food aid commodities pursuant to
subsection (a), the Administrator, to the extent practicable
and appropriate, should prioritize procurements from areas
supported through the international agricultural development
programs authorized under the Global Food Security Act of 2016
(22 U.S.C. 9301 et seq.) and from Ukraine, for the purpose of
promoting economic stability, resilience to price shocks, and
early recovery from such shocks in such areas.
(c) Do No Harm.--In making local or regional procurements of food
aid commodities pursuant to subsection (a), the Administrator shall
first conduct market assessments to ensure that such procurements--
(1) will not displace United States agricultural trade and
investment; and
(2) will not cause or exacerbate shortages, or otherwise
harm local markets, for such commodities within the countries
of origin.
(d) Emergency Exceptions.--
(1) In general.--Commodities procured pursuant to
subsection (b) shall be excluded from calculations of gross
tonnage for purposes of determining compliance with section
55305(b) of title 46, United States Code.
(2) Conforming amendment.--Section 55305(b) of title 46,
United States Code, is amended by striking ``shall'' and
inserting ``should''.
(e) Exclusions.--The authority under subsection (a) shall not apply
to procurements from--
(1) the Russian Federation;
(2) the People's Republic of China; or
(3) any country subject to sanctions under--
(A) section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act of
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371);
(B) section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act (22
U.S.C. 2780); or
(C) section 1754(c) of the Export Control Reform
Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4813(c)).
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