Sponsors (12)
The bill aims to preserve U.S. food-aid continuity and famine monitoring by moving Food for Peace authorities to USDA and enabling rapid administrative action, at the cost of potential diplomatic friction, reduced transparency in rulemaking, and transitional administrative burdens for implementers.
Nonprofits, state governments, and food-aid recipients: the bill preserves continuity of the U.S. international food-aid program by moving Food for Peace authorities to USDA, reducing the risk of program interruption when the transfer takes effect.
Rural communities and farmers (domestic and abroad): the bill keeps the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) under USDA, maintaining evidence-based famine and flood monitoring that supports timely humanitarian responses and agricultural decision-making.
Nonprofits, state governments, and program partners: the bill clarifies legal references (treating prior USAID citations as referring to USDA) and authorizes USDA to issue interim final rules effective on publication, reducing legal uncertainty and enabling faster administrative action to avoid service disruptions.
State and local governments, foreign partners, and NGOs: shifting control from USAID to USDA may disrupt diplomatic coordination and weaken integrated development and foreign-policy approaches used in complex humanitarian crises.
Nonprofits and farmers: granting USDA authority to publish interim final rules effective on publication can reduce opportunities for public notice and comment, limiting transparency and stakeholder input into important program changes.
Nonprofit implementers and contractors: reassigning grants, contracts, and licensing responsibilities to USDA during the transition could create administrative burdens, confusion, or delays for NGOs and contractors.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Transfers all Food for Peace Act authorities and related functions from USAID to the Secretary of Agriculture, effective on enactment.
Introduced February 11, 2025 by Jerry Moran · Last progress February 11, 2025
Transfers all functions, duties, assets, liabilities, and authorities for carrying out the Food for Peace Act from the USAID Administrator to the Secretary of Agriculture, effective on enactment. It treats prior references to USAID/Administrator as references to the Secretary of Agriculture (or an assigned USDA office), allows the Secretary to issue interim final rules on publication to maintain program continuity, preserves USDA responsibility for the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (or successor), and requires periodic consultation with the Secretary of State when administering Title II authorities.