U.S. Sen. Kohl: Urges immediate action for global food crisis

[undeterred]

5/5/2008

Contact: Rohit Mahajan or Lynn Becker
Phone: [phone]

Calls for Increase in Supplemental to Provide Timely International Relief

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, sent the following letter to President Bush in response to the Administration’s proposal to put additional federal resources toward food assistance in the wake of the worldwide hunger crisis. In the letter, the Senator specified since the proposed increase in international food aid would not go into effect until next year, he would push for additional funds in the Senate version of the emergency supplemental appropriations bill to provide immediate relief. Please find the text of the letter below, in addition to an attached PDF copy.


The President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Mr. President:

Although the food aid proposal you unveiled last week is a welcome signal of our nation’s commitment to hungry people across the globe, I feel obliged to respectfully disagree with the specifics and make several observations.

While your proposal calls for an additional $395 million for Public Law 480 food assistance, none of this additional assistance would become available until the beginning of the next fiscal year. Sadly, I don’t believe the crisis of escalating food and transportation costs can be held at bay that long and I fail to see how these additional resources help anyone right now. I would welcome an explanation from your administration.

As Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee with jurisdiction over P.L. 480, I believe we need more timely action. I intend to include enhanced P.L. 480 funding in the upcoming supplemental appropriations bill so that additional resources will be available for the current fiscal year. I realize this may be at odds with your oft-stated pledge to veto any supplemental which exceeds $108 billion. While I do not wish to invite unnecessary controversy over such an important topic, I think we have a moral obligation to act quickly. The poorest of the poor across the globe cannot wait nearly half a year for us to make good on this pledge.

Sincerely,


Herb Kohl

http://wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=125277

:applause: This is Herb Kohl talking about a 'moral obligation' to the poor and the hungry. It may be a bit late, but I think he's coming around. He's had some good bills lately.

[mcctatas]

1. Maybe he should start by donating some of his estimated

$279 million to humanitarian relief agencies?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Kohl#Business_and_philanthropy

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2. That would be awesome.

[Connonym]

3. Do we know that he's not?

The wiki entry doesn't state any humanitarian donations but does that mean they don't exist? I wonder who will inherit Kohl's money. He's not a spring chicken. I would be very impressed if he left a huge donation to charity in his will.

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4. Maybe the junior senator from Wisconsin

is finally having a positive, progressive effect on him. :shrug: