McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program
(McGovern-Dole Food for Education)
Department of Agriculture~2.7 million food-insecure children in developing countries; U.S. commodity producers
What This Program Does
The McGovern-Dole Food for Education program, established in 2002, provides U.S. agricultural commodities and financial assistance to support school feeding programs in developing countries. It aims to improve literacy, nutrition, and school attendance among food-insecure children, while also creating a market for U.S. agricultural products.
Who Would Be Affected
Approximately 2.7 million children in developing countries who receive school meals and nutritional support through this program would lose access to those benefits. U.S. commodity producers who supply food for the program would also lose a purchasing channel. Partner organizations and local communities in some of the world's poorest countries that rely on these programs for child nutrition and education would be directly impacted.
What This Cut Would Mean
The proposed elimination of the full $0.2 billion budget would end U.S.-funded school feeding programs in developing countries, potentially leaving millions of children without reliable meals and reducing school attendance in affected areas. The administration argues that foreign food aid should be coordinated through other international channels and that domestic priorities should take precedence, though it has not specified which channels would absorb this work. Independent analysts and humanitarian organizations have noted that no clear replacement mechanism has been identified, and that school feeding programs are among the most cost-effective interventions for improving both nutrition and educational outcomes in low-income countries.
Administration's Stated Rationale
“Foreign food aid programs to be coordinated through other international channels; domestic priorities take precedence.”