By Leah Douglas
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Division of Agriculture has terminated 17 initiatives underneath a international support program that funds college meals for youngsters in low-income international locations, based on an electronic mail despatched from USDA to congressional employees.
The cuts to the McGovern-Dole Meals for Schooling program are along with 27 initiatives canceled final week underneath USDA’s Meals for Progress support program, which sends U.S. commodities overseas for financial improvement. These cuts had been beforehand reported by Reuters.
The terminations are one other blow to U.S. international support initiatives as President Donald Trump slashes authorities spending, leaving meals meant for support packages to rot in warehouses. The strikes have raised considerations about elevated starvation overseas.
In all, 44 initiatives have been canceled in international locations together with Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone and Nepal. The initiatives are “not in alignment with the international help targets of the Trump Administration,” stated the e-mail despatched to congressional employees, which was seen by Reuters.
A USDA spokesperson stated the packages had been canceled in accordance with a January 20 govt order on aligning international support with U.S. pursuits.
Earlier, the White Home and the Division of Authorities Effectivity had pressured the USDA to cut back spending on abroad packages, based on a supply aware of the scenario. The White Home didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Twelve of the canceled McGovern-Dole initiatives are administered by the Catholic Aid Providers, based on the e-mail.
Haydee Diaz, CRS’s nation consultant in Honduras, stated the group’s program there serves 97,000 youngsters throughout greater than 1,700 faculties in rural municipalities the place malnutrition and stunting – a situation the place youngsters’s development is hindered resulting from a scarcity of ample meals – are severe points.
This system makes use of corn, rice, beans and a fortified soy mix from U.S. farmers for varsity meals which can be ready by 10,000 volunteers, Diaz stated.
The help can assist cut back migration to the U.S. as a result of it offers dad and mom the peace of mind their youngsters will no less than have one wholesome meal per day of their dwelling neighborhood, Diaz stated.
“What we’ll see is extra desperation, and extra migration,” Diaz stated.
U.S. farmers have acquired cost for the donated commodities and grantees should ship commodities to their ultimate locations, stated the e-mail to Congress.
Grantees had been instructed by the USDA to get rid of their commodities inside 30 days, based on one other supply aware of the scenario. That would imply giving the meals away, or destroying it, the supply stated.
Diaz stated her program goals to distribute as a lot of the help as it will possibly within the brief window.
Regardless of the cuts, the USDA continues to be administering 14 remaining Meals for Progress initiatives in 17 international locations and 30 McGovern-Dole initiatives in 22 international locations, the e-mail stated.
The company has additionally printed a funding discover for subsequent 12 months’s McGovern-Dole program and is finalizing the funding discover for Meals for Progress, the e-mail stated.
McGovern-Dole fed 2.5 million food-insecure youngsters in 2023, based on a program report back to Congress. McGovern-Dole awards totaled $248 million and despatched greater than 37,000 metric tonnes of U.S. commodities overseas.
(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Modifying by Matthew Lewis)
