The Frank Wolf Proposal

Posted on 12 November 2010

By John Coonrod

Congressman Frank R. Wolf, of Virginia’s 10th district, recently made a bold proposal for what we (the ending world hunger and poverty crowd) need to do in this political environment. But first, some background.

Thursday morning after the mid-term elections, the Alliance to End Hunger organized a fascinating presentation on Capitol Hill by Republican and Democratic experts (Jim McLaughlin and Tom Freedman). They presented an analysis of exit polls, including where voters stood on issues of ending world hunger.

The basic analysis was sobering but not surprising: a highly polarized U.S. electorate in which a large number of independents had swung to the right. A vast majority fearful about the economy.

Here are my seven favorite findings from their hunger questions:

1. Just 1.7% think ending world hunger/poverty should be a top priority for Congress (vs. about 55% saying the economy). Climate change also garnered 1.7%.
2. A sobering 63% prefer the statement “In our current economy, it’s important that the U.S. looks first to help its own citizens before trying to help others in the world” as compared to only 33% who prefer “Even in this economy, America should look to help those around the world in desperate need even as it tries to help the neediest citizens at home.”
3. Surprisingly, 70% agree with the statement: “The world has made important progress against hunger, poverty and disease in recent decades.”
4. 90% agree that “Foreign aid must be transparent and accountable to make sure dollars are spent wisely.”
5. 67% agree with the rather sophisticated statement: “Local recipients of U.S. foreign aid should participate or have a voice planning and executing development programs.”
6. A strong 76% agree that “U.S. foreign aid should be expanded to help farmers in poor countries become more productive and grow more of their own food” beating out the 72% who felt aid should be expanded to “reduce child malnutrition.”
7. When thinking about why the US should work to end world hunger, most people don’t seem to buy the self-interest arguments (economy, reputation or security, 33%) versus moral, religious and ethical reasons (56%).

After these facts were laid out, Congressman Frank R. Wolf made his proposal. Back in 1984, at the height of the Africa famine, Mr. Wolf was invited by a Democratic colleague Tony P. Hall to travel to Ethiopia. It transformed his life.

Mr. Wolf strongly recommends that we – the development community commit to this strategy big-time: that we systematically organize two-member bi-partisan trips for every freshman member of Congress before July 4, 2011. “Who will take Rand Paul to Darfur? Who will take Marco Rubio to Haiti?”

He emphasizes that the time to act is now. The friends that members of Congress make in their first days are usually cast in stone for their whole careers.

From my perspective, I would forego Darfur and Haiti – I would like members to see success stories within the far larger challenge of chronic hunger. Disaster situations are what people already expect. Brilliant, joyful, absurdly low-cost success will blow their minds.

So, thinking of message #6 above (farmers), I’d take members to meet empowered woman food farmers – women who had gone from not even being permitted to touch cash, to now running thriving farms, employing their husbands and getting elected to local government.

Every time I’m in a village, and experience what happens when people’s long-suppressed capabilities are unleashed, I not only learn something about villagers but also about what it means to be human, in general. And that is a gift I would like to give every member of Congress.

John Coonrod is Executive Vice President of The Hunger Project.