[Page H3331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      FOREIGN FOOD AID INCINERATED

  (Mr. LATIMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LATIMER. Mr. Speaker, this week The Atlantic reported that the 
Trump administration is planning to incinerate $800,000 worth of high-
nutrition biscuits, food that was meant for starving children in 
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
  These are not snacks. These are fortified, lifesaving meals. It gets 
worse. The administration will spend $130,000 just to destroy them. 
These are resources that could feed children anywhere in the world 
instead of going up in smoke.
  This is more than wasteful. It is cruel. It is part of a broader, 
draconian foreign policy that puts ideology ahead of humanity. The 
administration has made it clear that it will not send out aid until 
countries vote in a certain way or make trade deals.
  The Trump administration claims it is putting America first, but 
these policies put America last. When we offer food aid, we are not 
just fighting hunger, we are building goodwill. We are preventing 
famine. We are strengthening global stability and reducing the risk of 
conflict. That is what soft power looks like. When we abandon it, we 
abandon our values, our influence, and our moral leadership in this 
world.

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