By Virginia Houston, ASA Director of Government Affairs 

USAID has utilized Food for Peace to procure Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF), of which soy is a critical ingredient. 

As members and supporters of ASA and U.S. soybean farmers, we’re all familiar with soy’s role as the U.S.’s largest exported commodity. However, many of us are less aware of the important role soybeans play in international food assistance programs. In the U.S., our flagship food aid program is the Food for Peace program. Authorized by the farm bill, Food for Peace is administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and was originally authorized by the Agricultural Trade Development Assistance Act of 1954 under President Eisenhower.  

Historically, USAID has worked with non-governmental organizations like the World Food Program (WFP) to administer in-kind donations of U.S. grown commodities—including soy products like vegetable oil and corn-soy blend—to hungry populations around the world. In FY2024, USAID procured roughly $110 million worth of U.S. soy for Food for Peace. USAID has also utilized Food for Peace to procure Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF), of which soy is a critical ingredient. 

Over the years as global conflicts have evolved and the nature of humanitarian aid has shifted, there has been much debate about the role of commodities in food aid programs. At ASA, we remain firm in our message: U.S.-grown commodities must remain a cornerstone of food aid programs around the world.  

Going into 2025, the biggest expectation of potential changes to food aid programs centered around the renewal of the farm bill. However, that all changed in late January when Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, set their sights on their first federal government target—USAID.  

On Inauguration Day, President Trump signed an executive order suspending any new U.S. foreign development assistance for three months. The EO also directed a review of foreign assistance programs to ensure they line up with the administration’s “America First” foreign policy. As part of that review, DOGE targeted USAID for massive cuts. Almost overnight, the USAID website was taken offline, employees were notified of pending terminations, and overseas employees were told they had to return to the U.S.  

Food aid programs were caught in the crosshairs, and the future of Food for Peace remains uncertain. What little is left of USAID is being folded into the State Department, and there is ongoing concern about where food assistance programs would fit. While organizations were told they could apply for waivers to continue their work addressing global malnutrition, many organizations have yet to hear back from USAID or State, and groups have let staff go in response.  

Foreseeing the issues that could arise by moving Food for Peace to State, ASA and other agricultural groups are supportive of a legislative solution to move the program to USDA’s jurisdiction. USDA also facilitates two other food aid programs—McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Food for Progress—and we strongly feel USDA has the needed expertise to ensure Food for Peace continues to provide U.S.-grown commodities to hungry people around the world.  

Food aid programs like Food for Peace can build a foundation for long-term trade relationships. Japan and South Korea—two former food aid recipients—are now two of U.S. soy’s most important export markets. As the administration continues its governmental reform efforts, ASA will continue to advocate on behalf of U.S. international food assistance programs.