OUR REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT:

In February, Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Chris Coons, D-Del., reintroduced the Food for Peace Reform Act, which they claim will "free up as much as $440 million annually through greater efficiencies in delivering aid, allowing the U.S. to reach an estimated eight to twelve million more people, in a shorter time period." President Barack Obama has made the case for similar reforms. The question now is whether Congress will enact these reforms.

In almost every case, it would be more efficient to buy food in the region where it is needed rather than shipping it from the United States. For example, a 2009 study by the Government Accountability Office found that it costs 34 percent more to ship food to sub-Saharan Africa than to buy it there. Vincent Smith, an agricultural economist at Montana State University, recently testified before Congress that current practices mean that "less than 70 cents" actually benefit food aid recipients for every dollar spent on the program. In addition to the cost savings, the U.S. Agency for International Development has estimated that purchasing food from countries in the region can supply starved populations with food 11 to 14 weeks faster than shipping from the United States.

Former President George W. Bush shared Obama's interest in rationalizing these aid programs.

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