Senator Kerry and Senator Lugar urge improved foreign assistance during a hearing at the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
March 24, 2009

In opening statements for the Hearing on Global Food Security at the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Committee Chairman, Senator John F. Kerry, and Ranking Member, Senator Richard G. Lugar, warn against plummeting levels of aid and stress the importance of maintaining a strong commitment to foreign assistance during the global economic downturn. Calling for unwavering support for the President’s international affairs budget, Senator Kerry pledges to improve the efficiency of foreign assistance to maximize its benefits and impact.

"One of the special challenges of a truly global crisis is that, at the very moment when our assistance is most critical to the developing world, we are under the greatest strain to turn inward and cut our overseas aid budget. To ensure that we are doing our part to feed the world, we must take the long view and resist the urge to abdicate our responsibility as an economic and moral leader....Nothing will do more over the long run to address global hunger than fighting poverty. That is why we must demonstrate our commitment by fully funding the President’s international affairs budget and initiating a foreign aid reform process that will make our interventions more effective and efficient. I intend to look closely at introducing authorization legislation to ensure that we have a strong, effective aid program that can tackle the key challenges of our day."
Excerpt from Senator Kerry's opening statement, "Alleviating Global Hunger: Challenges and Opportunities for U.S. Leadership"