Amo Leads Letter to State Department and USAID in Support of Federal Funding to Combat Global Malnutrition
Letter led by Congressman Amo advocates for Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Food, a proven treatment against famine and acute malnutrition around the world
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01) sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power in support of dedicated funding for Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). The letter encourages Secretary Blinken and Administrator Power to leverage the $9 billion approved for humanitarian assistance through the through the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 to address acute malnutrition in Gaza, Sudan, and elsewhere throughout the world. Led by Congressman Amo, it was signed by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) as well as Representatives Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Jim Costa (CA-21), Bill Keating (MA-09), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), and Dina Titus (NV-01).
“We write to support dedicated funding from the Israel Security Appropriations Act, 2024 (“the Israel Supplemental”) for Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to address acute malnutrition in Gaze, Sudan and elsewhere around the world,” said the lawmakers. “The Israel Supplemental provided more than $9 billion for humanitarian assistance to respond to the crisis in Gaza and humanitarian needs around the world. We urge you to consider dedicated funding from the Israel Supplemental for the domestic production and global distribution of RUTF.”
Read the full letter HERE
BACKGROUND
According to UNICEF, Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is one of the most effective treatments for severe wasting. RUTF is generally funded by USAID as part of a comprehensive package to support the patient, their family, and their community to save children’s lives. Approximately 300 million people will need humanitarian assistance this year, and famine looms in Gaza and Sudan as critical food and nutrition assistance is nearly impossible to access. Food insecurity has been compounded by conflicts around the world, including Russia’s war on Ukraine and the impacts of the climate crisis. Child wasting, the most acute, life-threatening form of malnutrition, affects 45 million children globally.
Congressional action has been vital to supporting USAID's global humanitarian response as well as its efforts to address child wasting and acute malnutrition. On April 29, 2024, the Rhode Island congressional delegation and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock sent a letter to USAID Administrator Samantha Power advocating for the allocation of additional resources to address the detrimental impacts of severe malnutrition in Gaza. Additionally, the letter urged USAID to work with other U.S. agencies and international partners to expedite the delivery of these products to those who desperately need them.
On May 3, 2024, Administrator Samantha Power announced that USAID is committing $200 million in Fiscal Year 2024 base Title II Food for Peace funds to maximize the procurement and distribution of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and other specialized nutritious foods to prevent and treat acute malnutrition. USAID plans to distribute this essential aid through partners like the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) to areas most in need — including Gaza, Ethiopia, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Haiti. This announcement will build on ongoing efforts to provide life-saving nutrition support and prevent developmental delays, disease, and even death.
READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE LETTER
Dear Secretary Blinken and Administrator Power:
We write to support dedicated funding from the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024 (“the Israel Supplemental”) for Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to address acute malnutrition in Gaza, Sudan, and elsewhere around the world.
We applaud the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) recent announcement of $200 million for the domestic production and global distribution of RUTF. USAID’s commitment is essential for the continued work of our domestic nonprofit producers of RUTF, Edesia Nutrition in Rhode Island and MANA Nutrition in Georgia, as they produce lifesaving RUTF for children facing severe malnutrition. According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, RUTF is one of the most effective treatments for severe wasting, with a 92 percent success rate for curing severe acute malnutrition in as little as eight weeks.[1]
Unfortunately, the need for RUTF is ever increasing. As world conflicts and climate disasters become more common, they have escalated the nutrition crisis. At present, one in five deaths among children under age five globally is attributed to severe wasting.[2] Our domestic manufacturers would benefit from additional federal funding to successfully scale up production to meet this growing need.
The Israel Supplemental provided more than $9 billion for humanitarian assistance to respond to the crisis in Gaza and humanitarian needs around the world. We urge you to consider dedicated funding from the Israel Supplemental for the domestic production and global distribution of RUTF.
We thank you for your consideration and look forward to working with you on this request.
