Food Fight: Coast Guard Bill Could Limit Aid to Hungry (Aljazeera America)

From the article:

The Coast Guard authorization bill generally sails through the House without debate. This one was no exception. Even as it reached the Senate in late March, few were aware it contained any provisions related to humanitarian aid.

Sneaking the provision into an unrelated bill was necessary because the maritime industry can no longer count on the once-robust support of aid groups and the agriculture industry, said Kim Elliott, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development who specializes in food policy. “Farmers still defend [the law], but not as fiercely, because they’re doing great … and [aid groups] have been shamed into some sort of reform. That’s why they tried to sneak it into this bill, I think. It’s really getting indefensible.”

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