Hunger is a major issue in the 2026 election as high prices have made it hard for many Americans to buy groceries. According to a recent AP-NORC poll “Forty-one percent of adults were extremely or very concerned about being able to afford groceries in the next few months.”
Families are depending on food banks and federal programs to get through these tough times. We need leaders who will work to end hunger and support aid programs.
As Bread for the World states, “The decisions made by our elected leaders shape whether children, families, and communities have access to the food and resources they need.”
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the school lunch and breakfast programs, the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program and others need support from Congress. These initiatives help impoverished families get food assistance.
In reaction to increasing poverty numbers, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) recently said, “Congress must heed the warning in the data and reverse the harmful SNAP cuts and administrative and benefit cost shifts, and invest in proven solutions that help families put food on the table, reduce poverty, and improve local economies. “
We need leaders today who will make fighting hunger a priority and work with those even from a different party.
Many years ago George McGovern and Bob Dole were elected to Congress and made the most of that opportunity in fighting hunger. Even though from different political parties they worked together to feed the hungry at home and abroad.
Former Senator Sherrod Brown, who is running again in Ohio, gave a voice to the poor and hungry and supported food aid initiatives. Brown was very good at working across party lines to develop these programs.
Food should be a vital domestic policy priority for our leaders. Global food aid must be as well. You cannot build peace around the globe amid hunger and desperation. Our Food for Peace plan is vital to global stability.
Right now there are severe hunger emergencies in the Middle East, famine in Sudan and more food shortages in the Sahel, East Africa and other areas. But many of the relief missions are lacking funding because of budget cuts. The war with Iran has escalated food prices, harming the poor and hungry across the globe.
Conflict and natural disasters cause severe hunger and the U.S. can provide assistance if the Congress supports food aid. U.S. farms, in providing the supplies, also benefit from global food aid. It’s important to continue the American tradition of responding to the cries of hunger from abroad.
Eighty years ago, when World War II had just ended, the biggest famine in history emerged on the horizon. American food aid prevented this tragedy from unfolding, saved millions of lives and built a postwar peace. Global food aid is essential to peace.
We hope for a Congress that supports global as well as domestic food aid. This is especially important as food aid programs have been cut in recent years. The Food for Peace program, started by President Dwight Eisenhower, was even facing possible elimination. Food for Peace has fortunately been saved by some members of Congress. But much more needs to be done.
Americans should look for leaders who prioritize feeding the hungry in both domestic and foreign policy. Food is a basic human right and essential for any society to thrive.
William Lambers is an author who partnered with the UN World Food Program on the book “Ending World Hunger.” His writings have been published by the Washington Post, Newsweek, History News Network and many other news outlets.
