Sponsors (45)
The bill moves Food for Peace into USDA to streamline administration and preserve famine early-warning capacity, at the cost of potential diplomatic coordination friction, reduced public input during rule changes, and short-term administrative costs for aid partners.
Humanitarian responders, U.S. agencies, and American taxpayers retain continuous famine early-warning and analysis because FEWS NET remains housed in USDA, preserving data and coordination that inform U.S. responses to international food crises.
Nonprofits and U.S. farmers will interact with USDA instead of USAID for Food for Peace programs, which should simplify grant, procurement, and compliance processes for many American agricultural suppliers and service providers.
Nonprofits and local partners will face fewer immediate disruptions in food aid delivery because USDA may publish interim final regulations that take effect on publication, helping maintain program operations during the transition.
State Department, USAID partners, and humanitarian NGOs may face more complex diplomatic and operational coordination for overseas food aid because oversight shifts into USDA's foreign-assistance chain rather than existing State/USAID structures.
Nonprofits, farmers, and other stakeholders lose some opportunity for input because interim final rules can take effect on publication, limiting normal public notice-and-comment and legal review during a major program redesign.
Nonprofits, contractors, and American agricultural suppliers could incur short-term added costs and administrative burdens as contracts, grants, and permits are reissued or reclassified under USDA during the transition.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Transfers administration and authorities for the Food for Peace Act from USAID to the Secretary of Agriculture and allows USDA to issue interim rules to maintain continuity.
Official title: To transfer the functions, duties, responsibilities, assets, liabilities, orders, determinations, rules, regulations, permits, grants, loans, contracts, agreements, certificates, licenses, and privileges of the United States Agency for International Development relating to implementing and administering the Food for Peace Act to the Department of Agriculture.
Introduced February 11, 2025 by Tracey Mann · Last progress February 11, 2025
Transfers authority over the Food for Peace Act from the USAID Administrator to the Secretary of Agriculture, effective on enactment. The Secretary of Agriculture gets all functions, assets, liabilities, permits, grants, contracts, and authorities previously held by USAID for Food for Peace, may publish interim final rules to keep programs running, must consult with the Secretary of State periodically on Title II activities, and retains responsibility for the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (or its successor).