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Urgent: Farm Bill Can Help End Food Crisis

Target: U.S. Congress
Sponsored by: Oxfam America

BREAKING NEWS, 16 MAY 2008: The Farm Bill has now passed both in the House and Senate. Thank you to everyone spoke out on this issue.

The world is faced with a global food crisis. The prices of wheat, rice, and maize are skyrocketing.

Don't let Congress pass up a major opportunity to help address the food crisis by shifting payments for wealthy farmers to desperately needed funding to help the hungry around the world. Congress is in final negotiations on the Farm Bill and this legislation could make a difference. Some farmers making up to a million dollars a year receive support from the farm bill, but the poor affected by the food crisis do not. Does that sound right to you?

The farm bill could come to a final vote as early as Wednesday, May 14. Your urgent action is required!

Even a small cut in subsidies to rich farmers could provide funds to help millions who are hungry. Poor people around the world cannot wait any longer. Please tell Congress to address the food crisis today.

deadline: Ongoing...
goal: 10,000

9,731
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I am writing to request your urgent action to address the spiraling food crisis affecting poor countries around the world. Recent food price shocks highlight the need for immediate actions to address the growing food insecurity in developing countries.

As the donor for nearly half the world's food aid, the US has a special role to play in responding to the current situation. That is why we urge you to make the Farm Bill a more effective vehicle to help address world hunger. We would like to draw your attention to two issues that would help address the global hunger crisis.

First, support the Administration's initiative to shift one quarter of US food aid to local and regional procurement. Making the US food aid program more flexible and faster will save taxpayer dollars and feed more hungry people.
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Second, remove the so-called "hard earmark"-or provide a workable waiver-so that food aid funds can be shifted from non-emergency aid in the event of emergencies. Both the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill included measures to prohibit the shifting of funds within the food aid budget. While the rationale behind this measure is fundamentally sound, to protect development oriented food aid programs, the impact could be disastrous if it means that funds would not be available in the case of emergencies.

Tens of millions of people rely on American food aid to survive. Americans should be proud of this critical contribution to addressing global hunger. But Congress needs to ensure that our food aid programs are as efficient and effective as possible. Permitting the use of local purchase and shifting of funds within the food aid budget would help in this regard.

I thank you for your consideration.
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Sincerely,
[Your name here]

We took action on “Urgent: Farm Bill Can Help End Food Crisis”!

# 9,650:

7:12 am PDT, May 16, Dan Grady, Maine

# 9,649:

7:07 am PDT, May 16, Barbara Nudo, Illinois

# 9,648:

7:05 am PDT, May 16, Brittney Lincoln, Florida

# 9,647:

7:04 am PDT, May 16, Clydia Davenport, Massachusetts

# 9,646:

7:03 am PDT, May 16, Mary Frilot, California

# 9,645:

7:02 am PDT, May 16, Fiona Chrystall, North Carolina

# 9,644:

7:01 am PDT, May 16, Sofia Bennrup, Sweden

# 9,643:

7:01 am PDT, May 16, Mitzi Richardson, North Carolina

# 9,642:

7:00 am PDT, May 16, Samantha Dougherty, Pennsylvania

# 9,641:

6:58 am PDT, May 16, Meredith Kowalsky, Kansas
We are giving subsidies to farmers who make $750,000/yr while those who really need the aid are starving

# 9,640:

6:57 am PDT, May 16, Dawn Morris, Kentucky

# 9,639:

6:57 am PDT, May 16, Lael Robertson, California

# 9,638:

6:55 am PDT, May 16, Jasmina Gradistanac, Massachusetts

# 9,637:

6:54 am PDT, May 16, Gary Amburn, Wisconsin

# 9,636:

6:52 am PDT, May 16, Myra Hefner, Florida

# 9,635:

6:51 am PDT, May 16, Name not displayed, Massachusetts

# 9,634:

6:49 am PDT, May 16, Molly Andrews, Virginia
Prov. 22:9 He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor. Is. 58:10. "And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday. And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail."

# 9,633:

6:49 am PDT, May 16, Name not displayed, Alabama

# 9,632:

6:49 am PDT, May 16, Haley Wittowski, Indiana
People that can't provide for themselves need help! This can't go on any longer, we must end it now.

# 9,631:

6:48 am PDT, May 16, Laura Hunter, Texas

# 9,630:

6:48 am PDT, May 16, Janet Klein, New York

# 9,629:

6:47 am PDT, May 16, Miguel Tapia, Florida

# 9,628:

6:44 am PDT, May 16, Velmary Valle, Florida
these are people just like you and me. help them live to be able to move on to greatness.

# 9,627:

6:43 am PDT, May 16, Sharon Zerkle, Pennsylvania

# 9,626:

6:41 am PDT, May 16, Molly Findley, New York

# 9,625:

6:40 am PDT, May 16, Name not displayed, Massachusetts

# 9,624:

6:38 am PDT, May 16, Diane DeHaven, New Jersey
The major purpose of humanity is to take care of each other. I know you are too busy worrying about money and corporations who in turn take care of you, but feeding people is what is really important. Get off your butts and do the right thing!

# 9,623:

6:35 am PDT, May 16, Noel Kline, Pennsylvania

# 9,622:

6:34 am PDT, May 16, Barry Adelman, Florida

# 9,621:

6:34 am PDT, May 16, Jean Turley, Washington
Instead of paying the farmers NOT to grow crops, let them farm their land, and use wheat and corn to feed the starving people in the world. We are wasting our hard-earned tax money, paying it to wealthy farmers.

# 9,620:

6:33 am PDT, May 16, Alim OROVA, Turkey

# 9,619:

6:32 am PDT, May 16, Jennifer Karsner, Maryland

# 9,618:

6:31 am PDT, May 16, Sara Martinez, New York

# 9,617:

6:31 am PDT, May 16, Deb Haight, North Carolina

# 9,616:

6:28 am PDT, May 16, Sally Espinoza, Utah

# 9,615:

6:27 am PDT, May 16, LJ Selden, New York

# 9,614:

6:23 am PDT, May 16, Paloma Torres Davila, Puerto Rico

# 9,613:

6:23 am PDT, May 16, Zach Ferguson, Florida

# 9,612:

6:22 am PDT, May 16, Ann Marie Jordan, Pennsylvania

# 9,611:

6:22 am PDT, May 16, Heidi Will, New York

# 9,610:

6:20 am PDT, May 16, Julia Mercier, Delaware

# 9,609:

6:19 am PDT, May 16, Paul Hagedorn, Pennsylvania

# 9,608:

6:13 am PDT, May 16, Adele DeMartino, New York
Congress members, FEED the hungry people in the USA First!!!!! Let Russia, China or Saudi Arabia help those countries afflicted by hunger elsewhere.

# 9,607:

6:13 am PDT, May 16, Lynn Glorieux, Pennsylvania

# 9,606:

6:11 am PDT, May 16, Name not displayed, Czech Republic

# 9,605:

6:08 am PDT, May 16, Cat Consten, New Jersey

# 9,604:

6:01 am PDT, May 16, Angelica Casillas, Texas

# 9,603:

6:00 am PDT, May 16, Jai Parekh, New York

# 9,602:

6:00 am PDT, May 16, Joan Malherek, New York

# 9,601:

6:00 am PDT, May 16, Cindy Spencer, Wisconsin
Take the money we are just giving to the rich oil companies, who really don't need it, and use it for those who do!!

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