WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the U.S. House of Representatives nears a crucial vote on the farm bill, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is urging lawmakers not to sideline international hunger relief.
In a recent advocacy appeal, the organization called on Americans to contact their representatives in support of global food aid programs, emphasizing that such efforts reflect a commitment to human dignity, solidarity, and the common good. The House is expected to take up the farm bill (H.R. 7567) during the week of April 27.
"Hunger is a daily reality for families around the world — and the decisions Congress makes right now will shape the future of our global family," the statement reads. "With the House vote approaching, a narrow window offers a critical opportunity to speak up."
In an emailed statement to EWTN News, CRS emphasized that U.S. international food assistance — particularly Food for Peace — must remain strong and flexible as "around the world, needs are rising, and these programs are often the difference between families getting through a crisis or not."
The organization said it is "particularly concerned about anything that would limit flexibility or reduce resources at a time when global hunger is already at historic levels."
"Programs like Food for Peace have a long track record of saving lives," it continued, "and it's critical they remain well funded and able to adapt to complex emergencies."
It added that in "fast-moving crises, delays or limitations can mean families go without food when they need it most" and framed the issue more broadly: "At its core, this is about human dignity. Hunger isn't just a policy issue — it's a moral one."
"CRS is encouraging both Catholics and policymakers to keep the needs of the most vulnerable at the center of these decisions," the organization said.
The push comes as lawmakers will decide whether to vote on more than 300 amendments to the legislation, revealing sharp disagreement over whether the bill should focus primarily on domestic nutrition programs or maintain a significant role in global humanitarian food assistance.
Much of the debate has centered on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation's largest anti-hunger initiative. Some proposed changes would tighten eligibility requirements, alter benefit structures, or restrict the types of foods eligible for purchase, including sugar-sweetened beverages and ultra-processed foods. Other proposals would expand access through measures such as universal school meals, increased nutrition incentives, and additional support for food-insecure communities.
Together, the competing proposals highlight differing visions for federal food policy — whether it should be narrowly focused on alleviating hunger or also used to influence dietary outcomes and public health.
Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pennsylvania, chair of the House Agriculture Committee, has led Republican negotiations on the bill, while Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minnesota, the committee's ranking Democrat, has served as the lead Democratic negotiator.
In a statement shared with EWTN News, a House Agriculture Committee aide for Thompson said the "Food for Peace program has a long history of helping both American farmers and hungry communities around the world."
"The House Committee on Agriculture was proud to include a provision in the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 that designates the United States Department of Agriculture as this program's permanent home," the statement continued. "Chairman Thompson continues to advocate for this program in the halls of Congress as debate on the farm bill advances."
Craig's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Catholic teaching frames hunger as global responsibility
Catholic organizations have long emphasized that hunger policy extends beyond national borders, a theme reflected in recent advocacy surrounding the farm bill.
In February, a joint Catholic letter to Congress from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), CRS, Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Rural Life, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul urged lawmakers to strengthen both domestic and international food assistance programs.
The letter highlighted initiatives such as Food for Peace, which provides U.S. food aid abroad; McGovern-Dole Food for Education, which supports reducing hunger and improving literacy and primary education in low-income countries; and Food for Progress, which helps developing nations strengthen agricultural systems.
The letter's emphasis on global responsibility reflects broader Catholic teaching on hunger, echoed in recent remarks by Pope Leo XIV.
Speaking at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome for World Food Day in October 2025, the pope noted that "whoever suffers from hunger is not a stranger. He is my brother, and I must help him without delay."
He expanded on that theme more recently while speaking to reporters aboard the papal flight returning from Africa on April 23, reflecting on the responsibility of wealthier nations to address conditions in poorer regions of the world.
"I ask myself: What are we doing in richer countries to change the situation in poorer countries?" he said. "Why can we not try, both through state aid and through the investments of large wealthy companies and multinationals, to change the situation in countries like those we visited on this visit?"
I ask myself: What are we doing in richer countries to change the situation in poorer countries?"
Pope Leo XIV
Faith-based organizations, including CRS, have pointed to such statements in urging policymakers to maintain international food assistance as part of U.S. humanitarian leadership.
Amendments reflect long-standing debates
Several amendments reflect long-standing debates — often highlighted in Catholic advocacy — over how U.S. policy should balance domestic nutrition programs with international hunger relief.
An amendment by Rep. Jim Costa, D-California, would increase funding for the administration of Food for Peace, a program that provides U.S. food aid abroad, often using uses American agricultural commodities.
Introduced by Reps. Gregory Meeks, D-New York, and Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, another amendment would extend Food for Peace through 2031 and expand its scope to address child wasting, a severe form of malnutrition, through the use of specialized therapeutic foods.
Other amendments focus on domestic programs such as one introduced by Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tennessee, that would expand allowable SNAP purchases to include sliced meats and cheeses from delis.
Reps. Kim Schrier, D-Washington, and Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, proposed creating a grant program under the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to support purchases from small and undeserved agricultural producers for distribution through emergency feeding organizations.
The House Rules Committee is set to decide April 27 whether to allow floor votes on any of the amendments.
Expert highlights food system links
Speaking more broadly about the farm bill debate, Stephanie Scott, a senior policy analyst at the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, said domestic nutrition programs and international food assistance are more closely linked than they are often treated in policy discussions.
"I think when it comes to the food priorities for both domestic and international, they're kind of the same in what we as a nation would like," she told EWTN News, noting that programs such as SNAP and international food aid both function as core tools for addressing hunger.
Scott said international food assistance programs also respond to crises driven by conflict, climate shocks, and economic instability, and raised concerns about whether funding levels are sufficient to meet rising need both domestically and abroad.
"Prioritizing international food security," she added, "is not only a human right and a basic need but a strategic one."
