Washington, DC - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today released the following statement on S.1252, the Global Food Security Act of 2016, signed by President Obama Wednesday:

"Agriculture's vital role in our economic success and national security is a bond that we share with other nations all over the world. With agricultural development as a core component of his strategy, President Obama's Feed the Future initiative has achieved impressive results in combating poverty and hunger, reaching millions of small farmers with tools and technologies and delivering critical nutrition to millions of children. In effect, Feed the Future represents the best of our American values-compassion, innovation, collaboration, and progress toward a world free of hunger and inequality. As the world and our climate continue to change, we know that our work must continue. With the signing of the Global Food Security Act by the President today, we can be assured that this important work will carry on long past this Administration. USDA has been committed to ensuring that our contributions – through research and innovation, capacity building, technical assistance to build agricultural productivity, and school feeding programs– produced meaningful results. I am grateful that with the enactment of this legislation, the United States will continue to play a leading role in helping create a more food secure world and, therefore, a more secure United States of America."