Catholic Relief Services said May 21 that most of its projects under a federal inter-national food aid program were terminated, leaving hundreds of thousands of children more vulnerable to hunger. The Trump administration said it was seeking to “align” its programs “with the President’s agenda.” More than 780,000 children across 11 countries will be left without their school meal, in many cases their only meal of the day, as a result of the termi-nation of 11 out of CRS’ 13 proje-cts under the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program being terminated, CRS said.
The program – named for the late Ambassador and Sen. George McGovern and former Sen. Robert Dole, both advo-cates of ending childhood hunger – purchases agricultural commo-dities grown in the U.S. to support school food programs and mater-nal and early childhood nutrition programs in countries around the world, with the stated purpose of reducing hunger and promoting literacy, preventing children from trying to learn with empty stomachs.
Commodities purchased by the program include flour from Oklahoma, bulgur from Kansas, beans and lentils from North Dakota, and vegetable oil from states including Arkansas, Flori-da, Illinois and Iowa, according to the Agriculture Department’s website.
Politico reported May 20 the program was among the major international food aid grants the Agriculture Department plans to cancel. The White House’s proposed fiscal 2026 spending plan called for entirely eliminating the McGovern-Dole program. The first Trump administration pro-posed a similar plan, but Congress continued to fund the program.
Spanish bishops speak out after leaks of their meeting with Leo XIV
The executive committee of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, (CEE, by its Spanish acronym) meeting in Madrid this week, issued an official statement regarding the leaks
