The United States' oldest emergency food aid program, Food for Peace, was transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in December 2025 after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dismantled USAID. This move placed the $1.2 billion program in an agency lacking crisis-response expertise, leading to USDA seeking an instruction manual and shutting out experienced State Department staff.
Consequently, Food for Peace is now sending U.S.-grown commodities to nonemergency countries, bypassing nations like Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, which are facing or barreling toward famine. The first $452 million tranche and a subsequent $357 million grant opportunity stipulated 100 percent and 50 percent U.S.-origin commodity procurement respectively, including U.S.-flag shipping, an inefficiency costing $47.5 million annually. This "trade over aid" approach, prioritizing U.S. agricultural interests and market creation, reduces funds for critical in-country operations, potentially distorting food aid composition and leaving millions in famine-stricken regions without adequate assistance.
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