Clinton's daily schedule: food security breakfast

Posted By Laura Rozen Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - 1:21 PM Share

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's public appointment schedule:

8:00 a.m.  Meeting with Members of Congress on Food Security
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)
 
12:00 p.m.  Officiate at Swearing In Ceremony for Karl Eikenberry, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)
 
2:30 p.m.  Greet Michelle Kwan, Public Diplomacy Envoy
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

 

UPDATE: Per Clinton's 8am breakfast on food security, sources say that Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) attended, along with a number of House members. On the agenda, a bill, the Global Food Security Act, S. 384, introduced by the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Casey in February.

The Global Food Security Act is a five-year authorization that would do three things to counter the global food crisis, Casey and Lugar said in a statement announcing the bill. It creates a White House Special Coordinator for Global Food Security to coordinate a food security strategy. It authorizes "resources for agricultural productivity and rural development." And it "improves the U.S. emergency response to food crises by creating a separate Emergency Food Assistance Fund that can make local and regional purchases of food, where appropriate."

 

 

ZATHRAS

3:22 PM ET

April 29, 2009

At some point, legislation is

At some point, legislation is bound to be introduced creating a Special Coordinator for all the Special Coordinators in this administration. The position will be called the Czar Czar.

 

LAURA ROZEN

3:47 PM ET

April 29, 2009

you are so right. if they

you are so right. if they give him/her a press officer, that's fine with me. as it is, you call state about the envoys and nobody knows what they are doing, who works for them, etc. etc.
 

HEATHERH

5:19 PM ET

April 29, 2009

if Cognress will allow food

if Congress will allow food aid to be purchased locally, where it supports local economies/farmers, give 'em another envoy. This bill is potentially HUGE for that reason.

 

ZATHRAS

3:31 AM ET

April 30, 2009

Maybe

Lugar has supported this idea before. It will run into stronger or weaker opposition depending on whether farm commodity prices are low or high.

This bill is a little different because it has two prominent farm state Dems as co-sponsors, including the Ag. Committee chair. On the other hand, it isn't usually corn, beans, pork or beef that our food aid programs feature, and that's what the states Durbin and Harkin represent produce. On the Dem. side also, some lefty groups are upset by the bill's promotion of GM research overseas. To Lugar (also to me) this is no more than common sense, but his bill will take flak from the anti-GM crowd as well as wheat and dairy state reps.

 

John Hudson reports on national security and foreign policy from the Pentagon to Foggy Bottom, the White House to Embassy Row, for The Cable.

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