Global CItizen has been working to get the Global Food Security Act (GFSA) passed for more than two years. With the support of a bipartisan coalition of politicians, private sector partners, and NGOs, GFSA was passed in Congress and is being sent to the president's desk to become a law! 

Essentially, the act makes common sense adjustments to US food security programs to improve global food security and nutrition.

These are the core aspects of the bill:

• Guarantees 2 years of funding for America's food security investments.This funding mainly goes to smallholder and women farmers to help them through a program called Feed the Future, which has already helped 7 million small scale farmers grow more food, and improved nutrition for 12.5 million children.
• Locks in 2 years of funding for International Disaster Assistance. This is the aid that goes to help the US respond to natural and man-made disasters. This is the money that is feeding Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon; and what enabled the US to be the first on the ground with life-saving aid in the Philippines and Nepal when disaster struck. This aid saves thousands of lives every year, solidifies alliances, and keeps America safe by containing conflict.
• It improves coordination between different parts of the government, so that there's less waste and more oversight. It does this by making all the different Federal departments and agencies that implement global food security programs share information with one another, and gives Congress a transparent line of sight into what's happening.

The leaders behind GFSA recognize that the best way to reach global food security is to cut waste, enable self-sufficiency and create fair market conditions. When smallholder and women farmers have the resources they need to produce high yields, communities become more resilient and people everywhere have a better chance to thrive.

There's enough food being produced today to totally eliminate global hunger. Still, one in nine people around the world are hungry on a regular basis. The GFSA is working to close that gap and, thanks to the more than 85,000 Global Citizens like you who signed a petition, it looks like it will soon become law. 

The imminent passage of this bill is an example of Congress showing up to support crucial legislation. How do you, as a Global Citizen, #shOwup? Show us on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #shOwup, and you could be featured on GlobalCitizen.org.