Expressing support for assisting East African countries afflicted by the plague of desert locusts.

Whereas the United States Agency for International Development reports that East Africa is currently suffering the worst locust outbreak in decades, which will devour crops and pasture across that region; Whereas there are more than 25 million people experiencing severe food insecurity in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Sudan, and untold more will be at risk if the locusts, currently in their most vulnerable state, are not controlled using airborne pesticides, before they mature into full grown locusts; Whereas the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that there may be insufficient resources to conduct aerial spraying to address the outbreak of desert locusts that is currently devastating East Africa; Whereas the locust situation in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia represents an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods; Whereas a relatively small investment now to help eradicate the locusts will obviate or ameliorate the need for a much larger United States emergency aid effort later; Whereas Executive Director for the WFP David Beasley recently stated Do nothing now and WFP will need up to 15 times that amount—more than US $1 billion—to assist people devastated by losing crops and livelihoods. Whereas United States Ambassador to the United Nations food agencies in Rome Kip Tom has been coordinating efforts between the WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), offering support for locust eradication efforts and calling attention to areas which FAO needs to better address, including the safe application of pesticides, management of weak supply chains, coordination of aerial eradication campaigns, and use of digital surveillance tools; Whereas air assets capable of being deployed to support locust control efforts in East Africa potentially include the United States Air Force 910 Airlift Wing, based in Youngstown, Ohio, and those of contractors whose planes are routinely used by the United States Government; and Whereas prioritization of responses to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and travel restrictions resulting from the pandemic have created additional logistical challenges to locust eradication efforts, including delays in procurement and delivery of material: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) supports the coordination efforts of United States Ambassador to the United Nations food agencies in Rome Kip Tom between the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); and (2) calls upon the President to— (A) elevate locust eradication efforts among relevant United States Government agencies to immediately address the emerging food security crisis in East Africa; (B) allocate appropriate air assets to support locust eradication efforts in East Africa; and (C) direct the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to immediately mobilize personnel from the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance to determine further types of assistance the United States may provide in East Africa.

Summary: This resolution calls upon the President to (1) elevate locust eradication efforts among relevant U.S. agencies to address the food security crisis in East Africa, (2) allocate appropriate assets to support such efforts, and (3) direct the U.S. Agency for International Development to determine further assistance the United States may provide in East Africa. Further, it supports the coordination efforts of the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations food agencies between the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization.