No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings on the benefits of U.S. foreign assistance commodities (i.e., food, medicine, family planning products, and vaccines), including (1) their critical support for people recovering from natural disasters, fleeing conflict, in refugee camps, or in developing communities with limited health care access; (2) global health investments creating an estimated 600,000 U.S. jobs and $104 billion in economic activity from 2007 to 2022; (3) reliable access to vaccines and medications (e.g., for HIV, polio, and drug-resistant tuberculosis) enhancing global safety; (4) U.S. food assistance benefiting farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses by supplying 40% of international food aid valued at $2 billion annually; (5) family planning access preventing up to 30% of 295,000 annual maternal deaths and saving 1.4 million children under age 5; and (6) the unethical nature of voluntarily destroying such commodities intended for at-risk beneficiaries.
This section prohibits the destruction of perishable and nonperishable foreign assistance commodities and products procured, managed, controlled, or held by the United States or its implementing partners—including medicines, vaccines, medical devices, and food—unless every effort has been made to sell, donate, or otherwise make them available to intended beneficiaries before spoilage or expiration. The section further (1) requires the Secretary of State, Secretary of Agriculture, or USAID Administrator, as appropriate, to release necessary funds on an expedited basis for delivery or donation of such commodities held by implementing partners; and (2) directs the Secretary of State, in coordination with the USAID Administrator and Secretary of Agriculture as appropriate, to submit to specified congressional committees (i.e., Senate and House Foreign Relations/Affairs and Appropriations Committees) a report not later than 90 days after enactment and annually thereafter detailing any expired, spoiled, or destroyed commodities not delivered to beneficiaries, including efforts made, reasons for nondelivery, intended purpose and beneficiary locations, procured and market values, and destruction costs.