Bush Asks Congress To OK $770M In Food Aid

As Widespread Hunger And Social Unrest Loom, Money Urged To Alleviate Soaring Food Prices

(CBS/AP)  President Bush urged Congress Thursday to approve $770 million to help alleviate dramatically escalating food prices that threaten widespread hunger and increasing social unrest around the world.

In a surprise mid-afternoon appearance at the White House, Mr. Bush announced he is asking lawmakers to approve the additional funds for global food aid and development programs. The money - to be directed primarily at needy African nations - is being included in a broader $70 billion Iraq war funding measure for 2009 that the White House sent to Capitol Hill on Thursday.

"In some of the world's poorest nations, rising prices can mean the difference between getting a daily meal and going without food," Mr. Bush said. "The American people are generous people and they're a compassionate people. We believe in the timeless truth `to whom much is given, much is expected."'

The new money comes on top of $200 million Mr. Bush ordered released two weeks ago for emergency food aid. It also is in addition to a pending $350 million request for emergengy food aid funds. Because the new funds are part of a 2009 budget, they wouldn't be available for distribution until the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, even if they are approved sooner.

Even so, Mr. Bush called it "just the beginning" of the U.S. effort to help. He said the United States would spend a total of $5 billion this year and next on food aid and related programs.

"America's in the lead, we'll stay in the lead and we expect others to participate along with us," he said.

The new funds are aimed at meeting immediate needs with direct shipments of food aid, and the White House said they would allow for millions more people to get help. Emergency aid accounts for $620 million of the request, said Steve McMillin, deputy director of the president's Office of Management and Budget.

The funds also have long-term aims, with $150 million aimed at boosting U.S. programs to help farmers in developing countries increase productivity and make cash purchases of local crops, so communities are less in need of emergency help in the first place.

The issue has become more urgent recently because of food shortages and rising prices that, combined with high gas costs and rising home foreclosures, are putting a huge squeeze on families at home and abroad.

Just in the last year, prices of America's food staples have skyrocketed, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann. The price of eggs, at $2.20 a dozen, is up 35 percent; milk, at $3.78 a gallon, is up 23 percent; and pasta, at $1.08 a pound, is up 19 percent. Fruits and vegetables are also up double-digits.

"The price of food at retail and the producer level is inflating at a rate we haven't really seen since the 70s," says food analyst Andrew Wolf.

The world price of flour has almost doubled and in Egypt, a country that has to import more than half the wheat it needs, flour has started to look like gold dust, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips from Cairo. The subsidized loaves have become scarcer and the lines to get them have become longer.

A big problem is that flour has become so valuable it's become less of a food source and more of a trading commodity, adds Phillips. It's a lot more profitable to sell it out the back door of a bakery onto the black market, than it is to bake it into bread and sell it out the front door to these people.

There have been strikes, riots and several deaths, reports Phillips. The threat of civil unrest has become real.

What has been termed the first global food crisis since World War II has resulted in cries for help from United Nations officials and raised questions about how Mr. Bush will respond.

Some have blamed the food crisis in part on Bush-backed policies that push food-based biofuels such as ethanol as alternative energy sources. Bush says diverting corn and soybeans into fuel is still a smart approach, though he favors increasing funding for research into eventually using wood chips or switchgrass rather than food crops.

Mr. Bush's top economic adviser, Edward Lazear, said ethanol made from corn is responsible for just 2-3 percent of the overall increase in global food prices, which are 43 percent up this year over last year.

Mr. Bush's announcement drew praise from several quarters.

"Millions of people around the world may be saved from starvation if we can quickly move forward with the president's request," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. "Global aid is not only the right thing to do; it's the smart and safe thing to do. I commend the president for his leadership."

The United States is the world's largest provider of food aid, delivering more than $2.1 billion to 78 developing countries last year.

[jt_lancer]

Government intervention (farm and ethanol subsidies, import and export tariffs, etc.)is largely responsible for high food prices!

How will more government subsidies fix the underlying problem that the government created?

[pentangyl]

And yet we pay our farmers not to grow crops!

After administration fees, how much is actually sent to these nations!

I wonder out of that 770 Million, how much will the US receive for domestic product exports.
Or will it all be foreign grown too!

[pentangyl]

"My friends, I will have an energy policy that we will be talking about, which will eliminate our dependence on oil from the Middle East that will prevent us from having ever to send our young men and women into conflict again in the Middle East," McCain said.

[honestabe8]

Take it out of the DEA and ONDCP budgets, Shrub

[jt_lancer]

Hmmm... Bush is calling for government food subsidies to ''solve'' a problem that government is largely responsible for?

Food prices are escalating largely due to farm subsidies, ethanol subsidies, import and export tariffs, etc.

Yet, the obtuse politicians are too blind to see this.

What exactly separates Dems and Repubs any more? Repubs claim to be opposed to subsidies, yet they cheer Bush on for his big government programs.

Like the President and the remaining presidential candidates, the economically illiterate Americans haven''t a clue how markets really work, so what difference does it make?

[aaabee-2009]

I Love It! Bush doesn''''t help and he''''s evil, Bush tries to help and he''''s evil. You liberal simpletons need to go get a life, or at least a job.
Posted by artisan004 at 01:20 PM : May 02, 2008

Bush is helping himself. That is why help for the hungry is sandwiched inside much bigger help for his precious war. So you got the "Bush is evil" part right.

I Love It! Bush doesn''t help and he''s evil, Bush tries to help and he''s evil. You liberal simpletons need to go get a life, or at least a job.

[forthepeopl1]

AMERICANS NEEDS TO STRIKE........NO ONE WORKING FOR A WEEK OR SO WOULD TELL THE GOVERNMENT ONE THING, THEY CANT DO ANYTHING WITHOUT US AMERICANS WORKING FOR THEM AS SLAVES, SO IF EVERYONE WOULD NOT WORK FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, DONT BUY ANYTHING, DO NOTHING FOR A WEEK SEE HOW FAST THE GOVERNMENT STARTS LISTEN TO US.........COME ON AMERICANS WHAT WAITING FOR BUSH/CHENEY TO DECARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY BEFOR YOU WAKE-UP

AND FOR BLACKWATER, ANYONE THATS WANTS TO GET PAID TO KILL AMERICANS SHOULD BE SHOT THEMSELVES, THEY WORK FOR CHENENY AND CHENENY ONLY. WAIT UNTIL THEY USE THEM TOWARD AMERICANS WHEN THEY DECLAIR A STATE OF EMERGANCY JUST BEFORE THEY STRIKE IRAN

[jjp735i]

It''s nice to see Bush step up for once, but why is the the World Food Program sitting on $1.22 billion as reported today?

Why is Ban Ki-moon stating that the WFP had just $18 million cash on hand and asking for more money? Was he lied to or was he lying to us?

You can''t trust any one anymore it seems.

[lvdragonlady-2009]

Just this morning there was an article that stated that the U.N has 1.22B in it''s food program but say they need more and this clown we have as president is so stupid he wants the US to give them 770M. Wakeup @$$hole, we need that money here not overseas somewhere.
Is there no way to get him out of office early??

[aaabee-2009]

Lets just pass a bill that switches the numbers - 770 million for the war, 70 billion to fight world hunger starting with these United States.
Posted by USBrit at 10:27 AM : May 02, 2008

Sorry, but Bush will just whip out his veto pen, and all the GOP party loyalists in Congress will back him up. And then the aide not passing will be blamed on obstructionist Democrats.

Thank heavens God is on the side of these morons. Otherwise, the world could never get this scarey.

[forthepeopl1]

The Number represents oil imports in the month of December 2007 so tell me why are we thier in iraq??? and why are complaining to opec, looks like more from canada and mexico isn''''t that far behind, oh ya, we do like getting f/u/c/k/ by our freinds dont we

CANADA 2,326
SAUDI ARABIA 1,686
VENEZUELA 1,382
MEXICO 1,322
NIGERIA 1,271
ALGERIA 600
ANGOLA 439

IRAQ 378

VIRGIN ISLANDS 369
RUSSIA 287
ECUADOR 201
UNITED KINGDOM 179
BRAZIL 178
KUWAIT 158
LIBYA 138

NOTHING AGAIN FOR AMERICANS STARVING, BETTER THINK AGAIN AMERICANS ITS TIME TO HAVE A REVOLUTION IN THIS COUNTRY, MEANING A FULL STRIKE OF AMERICANS NOT GOING TO WORK, NO TRAINS PLAINS,BUSES,TAXI''S,NO ONE WORKING, AND SEE HOW FAST THEY START LISTEN TO AMERICANS WITH NO MONEY GOING INTO THE GOVERNMENT, THEY WOULD HAVE TO START LISTENS TO US..WAKE UP AMERICA

[aaabee-2009]

mbcsmith == liberal.
Posted by FloydZepp at 09:06 AM : May 02, 2008

Whaaaaa?
Has Helll frozen over and no one told me?????

Bush doesn''t give unless there is something bigger in it for him and his party.

"The money - to be directed primarily at needy African nations - is being included in a broader $70 billion Iraq war funding measure for 2009 that the White House sent to Capitol Hill on Thursday."

[usbrit-2009]

Lets just pass a bill that switches the numbers - 770 million for the war, 70 billion to fight world hunger starting with these United States.

[prestonaw1]

Apparently our president doesn''t read; not only are more Americans out of work losing their homes but they are depending greatly on food banks around our country; unfortunately, with the rising cost of gas and our current recession are food banks are taking in less donations, if Congress approves $770 million let''s feed America and stimulate our economy. Help fight the corruption that exist in the governments that we currently are giving millions of tons of grain to feed their poor.

[wakeup60]

Who''s the "ONE" that has brought the subject matter of feeding the hungry of the world/which "is" in a desperate state to say the least/but how about the millions right here in the US.Our children/our families are going to bed hungry every night/if they even have a bed, they don''t even have "1" meal a day either folks/We''d better start fixing these big problems right here & right now/here @ home. Spending these MILLIONS/TRILLIONS here in our own country @ The "LIB''s", as you so quaintly describe,are "NOT" who has placed this in front of the Congress/Don''t think Dubya has changed parties/thought ELEPHANTS NEVER FORGET/so shove the blame & pandemonium towards your side on the ring-RIGHT_WINGERS-where it should go.Take all the credit you want & deserve on this one! We need to take care of our own-feed our hungry,our homeless, issue great health care to our sick,etc.,etc.,etc.,& keep our noses out of other people''s civil wars and WARS with the wrong country! Killing our young men & women overseas for what? Wish we could help every single person on the planet, BUT...when is there going to be justice & peace for our own???

[xlib]

This story isn''t running here and that certainly is surprise. It seems that the UN has been sitting on 1.2 billion in funds for food while at the same time screaming about hunger and starvation in poor countries. Perhaps it isn''t running here for politcal reasons. It is no surprise as this site and other msm did little to cover the UN Food for Oil program that as very corrupt involving kofi, his kid and many countries that were against invading Iraq.

[mbcsmith]

mbcsmith == bleeding heart "give tax dollars to foreigners" liberal Democrat.

You have a poster of Barbra Streisand in your Bedroom?


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Posted by FloydZepp at 09:05 AM : May 02, 2008

Writhe in misery at your petty, hateful little life today. Gotta go, it''s gonna be a good day.

[mbcsmith]

Posted by FloydZepp at 09:02 AM : May 02, 2008

Morning news: Unemployment down, oil down, dollar up. Looks like the LIBS will have to change their talking points, AGAIN.

[mbcsmith]

Unless Nancy Pelosi suggests it....

You really are a freak.


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Posted by FloydZepp at 08:55 AM : May 02, 2008


Funny, I haven''t seen Congress even debate the matter in the last two years. Pelosi? LOL....LO again.