H.R. 1567 would require the President to develop and implement a strategy to improve global food security. In carrying out that strategy, the Administration would provide assistance to developing countries to reduce chronic hunger and poverty, support economic growth by expanding agricultural output, and improve nutrition, especially among women and children. The strategy would be similar to the Administration’s ongoing global food security initiative called Feed the Future. The bill also would require the Administration to submit a detailed progress report to the Congress.
H.R. 1567 would authorize appropriations of slightly more than $1 billion in 2016 for programs at the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement the strategy. The Department of State and USAID together plan to use roughly $1 billion of their 2015 appropriation for similar purposes. Based on the historical spending patterns of similar assistance programs, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $905 million over the 2016-2020 period, assuming appropriation of the specified amounts. (Most of the remainder would be spent in subsequent years.) Based on information from USAID, CBO estimates that other federal entities involved in implementing the strategy would not require additional appropriations for that purpose. Enacting H.R. 1567 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 1567 is shown in the following table. The costs of this legislation fall primarily within budget function 150 (international affairs).
