Young’s Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Starvation as a Weapon of War Passes Senate Foreign Relations Committee

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Jeff Merkley (R-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), John Thune (R-S.D.), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) applauded the unanimous committee passage of their bipartisan Senate resolution condemning the use of starvation and hunger as weapons of war.

“It is time for the United States to hold those who use food as a weapon of war accountable for their horrific actions,” said Senator Young. “From Yemen to Ukraine, the world’s most vulnerable are suffering in unspeakable ways. By advancing this bipartisan resolution, we send a clear message that the United States federal government must use all of the tools and authorities at our disposal to end these abuses.”

“Conflict is a major driver of food insecurity, and warring factions in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen continue to engage in the willful destruction of agricultural goods and infrastructure, manipulate markets, and impose security and bureaucratic barriers upon humanitarians – culminating in the deliberate starvation of civilians,” said Senator Risch, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Now, Russia is taking its own starvation campaign global. The resolution we passed today condemns the deliberate use of hunger as a weapon of war and calls upon the U.S. government and our partners to respond to needs in real time and hold perpetrators accountable. It is critical we use every tool at our disposal to ensure food assistance is not being manipulated or used against the civilians that so desperately need it.”

Full text of the resolution can be found here.