U.S. Secretaries Hillary Clinton and Tom Vilsack have participated in a high-paced, two-day flurry of Congressional hearings on their FY 2011 budget requests for the Departments of State and Agriculture, respectively.
Yesterday, Secretary Clinton testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs in the morning before appearing in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the afternoon. Today, she appeared before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in the morning before testifying at an afternoon hearing convened by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack appeared before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies yesterday.
In their remarks, both Secretaries stressed the important role their respective departments will play in implementing the Administration's Global Food Security Initiative. Secretary Clinton reiterated the Administration's pledge to invest at least $3.5 billion in food security over three years, and that this year’s request includes $1.6 billion, of which $1.2 billion is funded through the State Department. Secretary Clinton said the "funding will focus on countries that have developed effective, comprehensive strategies, where agriculture is central to prosperity and hunger remains widespread."
In his testimony, Secretary Vilsack noted that a productive U.S. agriculture system "is critical to increasing global food security," while also remarking on USDA's foreign food assistance programs, its work in rebuilding Afghanistan's agriculture system, as well as the department's assistance towards developing countries to help enhance their agricultural capacity.
On a related note, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah will testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on March 2nd to discuss USAID and the FY 2011 budget request.
Click here to read the U.S. Department of State's FY 2011 Budget Justification
Click here to read the U.S. Department of Agriculture's FY 2011 Budget Justification
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