Congress funds in-kind food aid programs through the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act—known as the Agriculture appropriations bill. In 2010, Congress established the Emergency Food Security Program (EFSP), which provides primarily cash-based food assistance. Cash-based assistance provides recipients with the means to acquire food, including through cash transfers, vouchers, or locally and regionally procured food —food purchased in the country or region where it is to be distributed rather than from the United States. This report provides a brief overview of the international food aid-related provisions in the FY2018 and FY2019 enacted Agriculture Appropriations Acts—Division A of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 ( P.L. 115-141 ) and Division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 ( P.L. 116-6 ). It does not cover programs funded through the SFOPS appropriations bill. International Food Aid Programs

Congress funds most U.S. international food aid programs with discretionary funding provided through annual appropriations bills. Congress authorizes discretionary and mandatory funding levels for international food aid programs in periodic farm bills, most recently the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 ( P.L. 115-334 ). The Agriculture appropriations bill also provides funding for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. Programs with Mandatory Funding

Congress has authorized certain U.S. international food aid programs to receive mandatory funding. Congressional Appropriations

Both the FY2018 and FY2019 Agriculture Appropriations Acts provided funding for U.S. international food aid programs in the Foreign Assistance and Related Programs (Title V) and General Provisions (Title VII) titles. This included funding for FFP Title II and McGovern-Dole. Appropriations for FY2018

The FY2018 Agriculture Appropriations Act (Division A of P.L. 115-141 ) provided $1.924 billion for international food aid programs, a 7% increase from the FY2017 enacted total of $1.802 billion ( Table 2 ). Appropriations for FY2019

The FY2019 Agriculture Appropriations Act (Division B of P.L. 116-6 ) provides $1.942 billion in total funding for international food aid programs, a 1% increase from the FY2018 enacted amount of $1.924 billion. Table 2 details appropriations for international food aid programs for FY2017-FY2019, including proposed funding levels in the Administration's FY2018 and FY2019 budget requests and in the House and Senate Agriculture appropriations bills for FY2018 and FY2019. Policy-Related Provisions

In addition to providing funding, the agriculture appropriations bill may contain policy-related provisions that direct how the executive branch should spend certain funds.
The Agriculture appropriations bill—formally known as the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act—funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) except for the Forest Service. This includes funding for certain U.S. international food aid programs.
In March 2018, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141), an omnibus appropriations act for FY2018, into law. In February 2019, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-6), an omnibus appropriations act for FY2019, into law. The FY2018 and FY2019 Agriculture Appropriations Acts—Division A of P.L. 115-141 and Division B of P.L. 116-6, respectively—include funding for certain U.S. international food aid programs, such as the Food for Peace (FFP) Title II Program and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. Other international food aid programs receive mandatory funding and do not rely on discretionary funding provided through annual appropriations. Congress authorizes discretionary and mandatory funding levels for international food aid programs in periodic farm bills, most recently the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-334).
This analysis covers appropriations for U.S. international food aid programs that Congress funds through agriculture appropriations bills. It does not cover appropriations for international food assistance or agricultural development programs that Congress funds in State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations bills, such as the Emergency Food Security Program (EFSP) or the Feed the Future Program.
In FY2018, Congress provided a total of $1.924 billion in funding for U.S. international food aid programs, a 7% increase from the $1.802 billion provided in FY2017. In FY2019, Congress provided $1.942 billion in funding for U.S. international food aid programs, a 1% increase from FY2018 enacted levels.
In addition to providing funding for U.S. international food aid programs, agriculture appropriations bills may also include policy-related provisions that direct how the executive branch should carry out certain appropriations. The FY2018 and FY2019 Agriculture Appropriations Acts, as well as House and Senate Agriculture appropriations bills for those fiscal years, include policy provisions related to international food aid programs. For example, one provision directs that a certain amount of the funds appropriated for the McGovern-Dole Program be used to provide locally and regionally procured food assistance—food assistance purchased in the country or region where it is to be distributed rather than in the United States.