How Washington can easily help millions of people around the world

It is no wonder that Americans overwhelmingly say that economic issues ― finding the money to put food on the table, fill up the tank, and pay the rent ― are their top concern right now. Families get sticker shock when they go to the gas station. More sticker shock waits for them when they drive to the grocery store.

It seems like prices are going up for almost everything, while U.S. farmers struggle to sell their crops ― in some cases because foreign countries themselves cannot afford to import things like soybeans, corn, and grain like they did before.

Meanwhile, far too many people in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere are struggling also ― to be able to buy food, to pay for medicines, to send their kids to school ― in short, to provide a decent life for their families.

In my travels, I’ve seen too many times what this looks like firsthand. Men and women working multiple jobs in order to scrape cash together when their wages aren’t keeping up with rising prices. Transportation costs spiking. Imports of foodstuffs and other essentials decline because the local currency doesn’t buy as much as it did a year ― or even a month ― before.

Even prior to the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, millions of people around the world were experiencing food insecurity. More than 318 million people are facing acute hunger right now, according to the World Food Programme, and this number is expected to rise due to fertilizer shortages and higher oil........

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