USCCB - (SDWP) - First Small Victory on Food Aid

First Small Victory on Food Aid

House Appropriations Committee
Adopts Jackson Amendment March 9, 2005

As noted in our most recent action alert, the House Appropriations Committee this week considered the FY 2005 emergency supplemental appropriations. Initially, the Committee cut the President’s request for $150 million in emergency food aid for Sudan and did not add any other funds for food aid. USCCB and CRS have been advocating for $1 billion in additional food aid to address global needs.

On March 8, thanks to your advocacy efforts, the House Appropriations Committee narrowly approved an amendment offered by Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) by a vote of 32-31, to restore the $150 million in emergency food aid for Sudan in the FY2005 supplemental spending bill. The restored funding will help assist the millions in urgent need of food aid in Darfur, where ongoing conflict has incited a grave famine situation.

Unfortunately, the Committee cut $200 million to support peacekeeping operations in countries like Sudan as well as $45 million for tsunami relief. It did retain the $200 million USCCB/CRS supported for Palestine. The retention of emergency food aid brings the total supplemental funding for Darfur to $242.4 million, with an additional $100 million for Southern Sudan.

Thank you for all your efforts in encouraging Committee members to restore funding for food aid. Please call or write those Members who supported the Jackson Amendment and thank them for supporting emergency food aid for Darfur. If your member voted against the amendment, you might write a polite note expressing your disappointment and your hope that he or she will reconsider his or her position on emergency food aid in the future. You may do so by visiting the CRS website at www.crs.org/actioncenter.cfm.

The full House of Representatives is expected to consider the emergency supplemental appropriations bill next week. Please continue your advocacy efforts by contacting your members of the House in support of adequate funding for urgent global needs by visiting the CRS website www.crs.org/actioncenter.cfm.

These members voted for granting $150 million in food aid for Darfur:

Marion Berry (D-AR)
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA)
Allen Boyd (D-FL)
James E. Clyburn (D-SC)
Robert E. “Bud” Cramer, Jr. (D-AL)
Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT)
Norman D. Dicks (D-WA)
Chet Edwards (D-TX)
JoAnn Emerson (R-MO)
Sam Farr (D-CA)
Chaka Fattah (D-PA)
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD)
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI)
Carolyn C. Kilpatrick (D-MI)
Nita M. Lowey (D-NY)
Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV)
James P. Moran (D-VA)
John P. Murtha (D-PA)
David R. Obey (D-WI)
John W. Olver (D-MA)
Ed Pastor (D-AZ)
David E. Price (D-NC)
Steven R. Rothman (D-NJ)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
Martin Olav Sabo (D-MN)
Jose E. Serrano (D-NY)
Todd Tiahrt (R-KS)
Peter J. Visclosky (D-IN)
Frank R. Wolf (R-VA)

These members voted against the $150 million for food aid:

Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
Henry Bonilla (R-TX)
John Carter (R-TX)
Ander Crenshaw (R-FL)
John Abney Culberson (R-TX)
John Doolittle (R-CA)
Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R-NJ)
Virgil Goode (R-VA)
Kay Granger (R-TX)
David Hobson (R-OH)
Ernest J. Istook, Jr. (R-OK)
Jack Kingston (R-GA)
Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL)
Joe Knollenberg (R-MI)
Jim Kolbe (R-AZ)
Ray LaHood (R-IL)
Tom Latham (R-IA)
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Anne Northup (R-KY)
John E. Peterson (R-PA)
Ralph Regula (R-OH)
Dennis R. Rehberg (R-MT)
Harold Rogers (R-KY)
Michael K. Simpson (R-ID)
John Sweeney (R-NY)
Charles H. Taylor (R-NC)
James Walsh (R-NY)
Zach Wamp (R-TN)
Dave Weldon (R-FL)
Roger F. Wicker (R-MS)
C.W. Bill Young (R-FL)