Schakowsky, Levin, McGovern, Pressley, and Wilson Lead Colleagues in Urging USAID to Ensure Food Security in Haiti

EVANSTON – This week, Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), alongside Reps. Andy Levin (MI-09), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Frederica Wilson (FL-24), led a letter to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Power urging her to act to ensure food security in Haiti. The United Nations has warned that up to half of Haiti's entire population will be confronting severe hunger by next month.

"Currently, 4.5 million Haitians are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity. While this is currently the result of the domestic situation in Haiti and lower-than-expected humanitarian food assistance, historic U.S. policy has also contributed to the problem and we have a moral responsibility to address it," wrote the lawmakers. "We can and must support Haiti by ensuring it both receives emergency food aid, that aid is efficiently and equitably distributed, and that it is directed towards long-term sustainability and security for the Haitian people."

In their letter, the lawmakers urged USAID to work with grassroots and community organizations and include them in the food distribution process, and to continue collaborating with the Inter-American Foundation to ensure inclusion of locally-led development. The lawmakers also urged USAID to purchase emergency food aid from local sources whenever possible and ensure that long term aid directed at Haiti be used to support smallholder farm families. Finally, the lawmakers asked that all aid be coordinated directly with national and regional Haitian authorities and that grassroots organizations are provided the opportunity to both inform and help implement aid-based programs.

The letter was also signed by Representatives Alma Adams, Karen Bass, Earl Blumenauer, Jamaal Bowman, Anthony Brown, André Carson, Troy Carter, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Charlie Crist, Danny Davis, Val Demings, Anna Eshoo, Adriano Espaillat, Dwight Evans, Jesús G. "Chuy" García, Raúl Grijalva, Jahana Hayes, Pramila Jayapal, Hank Johnson, Mondaire Jones, Ro Khanna, John Larson, Al Lawson, Gwen Moore, Eleanor Norton, Ilhan Omar, Frank Pallone, Donald Payne, Katie Porter, Jamie Raskin, Bobby Rush, Albio Sires, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Juan Vargas, and Susan Wild.

A copy of the full letter can be found HERE.

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