AMO Currents - House vote demonstrates support for PL-480 Food for Peace

AMO Currents - Posted: June 21, 2013

House vote demonstrates support for PL-480 Food for Peace

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to reject a legislative amendment that - had it been approved and later passed into law - would have cut deeply into shipments of domestically purchased U.S. food aid by imposing the Obama administration's proposal to radically restructure the PL-480 Food for Peace program.

Members of the House voted 203-220 on the amendment presented by Rep. Edward Royce (R-CA) and Eliot Engel (D-NY) to the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act of 2013, legislation to reform and reauthorize U.S. agricultural programs through 2018, which was brought to the floor of the House this week for consideration.

However, the next day, the House of Representatives voted down the FARRM Act itself 195-234. When the House brings up the legislation again, further attempts to attach amendments harmful to the PL-480 Food for Peace program may be made.

"The House's rejection of the Royce amendment is a very good sign, but is one of many battles that will be fought in what has become a multi-pronged assault on PL-480 Food for Peace," said AMO National President Tom Bethel. "AMO will continue to work strenuously with labor and industry allies, and with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, to maintain the proven and successful Food for Peace program."

The amendment rejected by the House would have added legislation sponsored by Rep. Royce - H.R. 1983 - to the FARRM Act. Strongly opposed by American Maritime Officers, American Maritime Officers Service and the other members of the USA Maritime coalition, H.R. 1983 would impose provisions of the Obama's administration's fiscal year 2014 budget request, including the elimination of up to 45 percent of the funding for the domestic purchase of U.S. food aid for shipment overseas. H.R. 1983 would instead use the funding for a cash-transfer and food voucher system, and for the purchase of food aid from foreign interests rather than U.S. farmers.