Title: Expressing support for assisting East African countries afflicted by the plague of desert locusts.
Policy area: International Affairs

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.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 962 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 962

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 8, 2020

   Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself and Ms. Bass) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 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
    Resolved, 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.
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