WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., celebrated the passage of his bipartisan bill to bolster federal efforts and increase coordination to address global malnutrition. The Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act, which will authorize the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to scale up programs and activities to prevent and treat malnutrition globally, passed the Senate last night on a voice vote. After previously passing the House on a strong bipartisan vote, the bill now heads to President Biden for his signature. 

“Malnutrition affects millions throughout the world, and it takes a heavy toll on children and expecting mothers,” Senator Wicker said. “The targeted reforms included in the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act will increase our ability to address this growing challenge and save lives.”

U.S. Senators John Boozman, R-Ark., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., also led the bill. The bill was led in the House of Representatives by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and Ranking Member Mike McCaul, R-Texas.

“The Senate’s passage of the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act demonstrates our bipartisan commitment to address malnutrition that leads to the suffering of millions of children across the globe,” said Senator Coons. “As the world recovers from COVID-19 and deals with escalating military conflicts, this bill will help the U.S. lead by example to improve the health of children, mothers, and families around the world. I am delighted that the Senate passed this bill unanimously and look forward to President Biden swiftly signing this bill into law.” 

“The pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine have exacerbated global food insecurity, and the United States’ leadership is crucial to the reduction of world hunger,” said Senator Kaine. “The Senate’s unanimous passage of our bipartisan Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act will help keep starvation at bay for children and families in need across the globe. I urge President Biden to sign this bill into law as quickly as possible.”

“Passage of this legislation is an important and necessary step to fight global malnutrition and improve coordination with our partners around the world,” Senator Boozman said. “I urge the president to quickly sign this bill into law so we can get help to the children and families who need it most.”

The Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act would:

• Authorize the USAID administrator to scale up the prevention and treatment of global malnutrition and coordinate with relevant public and private partners on these efforts;
• Direct the USAID administrator to select priority countries that would receive prioritized nutrition assistance;
• Establish the Nutrition Leadership Council to coordinate USAID’s efforts on preventing and treating malnutrition, with representatives from relevant inter- and intra-agency offices;
• Direct the USAID to develop and submit an implementation plan to prevent and treat global malnutrition; and
• Require the USAID to submit an annual report to Congress on the progress made toward preventing and treating global malnutrition.

The full text of the bill is available here.