KAWG applauds Senator Moran for comments on food aid

The Kansas Association of Wheat Growers (KAWG) applauds Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), for his remarks on the importance of the Food for Peace and McGovern Dole programs.

“The Kansas Association of Wheat Growers would like to thank Senator Moran for his comments on transferring authority over the Food for Peace Program from USAID to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” said KAWG President Chris Tanner, a farmer from Norton County, Kansas. “The Senator’s remarks on the purpose of Kansas farmers are meaningful. We appreciate his comments on food security being essential to national security.”

KAWG also applauds the efforts of Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) for his support of moving Food for Peace to USDA.

Tanner had the opportunity to address this issue at a roundtable with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins earlier this spring. He said, “Kansas has a long history with food aid; at a meeting in the 1950s, a farmer brought up the idea of providing the grain Kansas produces to those in need. The bill was sponsored by a Kansas representative and signed into law by President Eisenhower. We feel you're well equipped to house Food for Peace, as you will already handle Food for Progress and McGovern Dole. The program would have great oversight under your leadership. USDA is much closer to the domestic farmer constituency to best implement the program in a way that benefits America first.”

We also want to thank Senators Moran and Marshall, Senator Hoeven (R-ND) and Congressman Mann (R-KS-01) for their leadership on the American Farmers Feed the World Act, which would ensure Food for Peace is purchasing American grown grain — the original intent of the program.

KAWG urges Congress to swiftly consider and pass this important legislation.

To learn more about the importance of food aid, listen to the latest episode of the Wheat’s On Your Mind podcast, where Peter Laudeman of U.S. Wheat Associates and Justin Gilpin of Kansas Wheat take listeners on a firsthand journey through East and Southern Africa, where U.S.-grown wheat becomes a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of hungry people.

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Listen to Senator Moran's remarks