,,iii #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #cg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #b1 #bjbb,ms4 ,ernst submitted the following concurrent resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,,concurrent ,,resolution ,declaring a state of emergency due to the ,russian invasion of ,ukraine1 in order to establish a waiver of the minimum tonnage requirements of section #eecje of title #df1 ,united ,states ,code4 ,whereas1 in ,march and ,april #bjad1 the ,russian military invaded and annexed the ,ukrainian peninsula of ,crimea1 and the ,russian ,federation took action to establish pro-,russian separatist states in the ,donbas region of ,ukraine2 ,whereas1 the ,russian ,federation has failed to follow the cease-fire agreements established by the ,minsk #a and ,minsk #b accords1 and conflict has been present in ,ukraine since such invasion and annexation2 ,whereas1 throughout #bjba1 ,russia amassed troops1 weapon systems1 and hardware on the border of ,russia and ,ukraine2 ,whereas1 on ,december #ag1 #bjba1 the ,russian ,federation presented the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7referred to in this preamble as ,,nato7 with a list of security demands1 including that ,,nato would never allow ,ukraine1 or other former ,soviet states1 into the alliance2 ,whereas such demands are non-starters for ,,nato and its open door policy1 which dates to the alliance's founding and gives no third party a say in such deliberations1 and such demands were only offered as a justification for a ,russian invasion2 ,whereas1 on ,february #ba1 #bjbb1 ,president ,vladimir ,putin officially recognized the regions of ,donetsk and ,luhansk as independent states despite international consensus that those regions remain part of the sovereign territory of ,ukraine2 ,whereas1 on ,february #bb1 #bjbb1 ,president ,putin ordered ,russian troops to enter ,donetsk and ,luhansk on a peacekeeping mission while setting the stage for a larger invasion2 ,whereas1 on ,february #bd1 #bjbb1 ,president ,putin ordered ,russian forces to conduct a full-scale invasion1 moving beyond the regions of ,donetsk and ,luhansk1 and initiating attacks throughout broader ,ukrainian territory2 ,whereas ,russian forces continue to devastate ,ukraine's hospitals1 schools1 homes1 and other civilian infrastructure1 and threaten nuclear power plants with heavy artillery1 multi-launch rocket systems1 and munitions systems1 with no regard for civilian casualties2 ,whereas1 an ,october #ai1 #bjag1 ,government ,accountability ,office ,report stated that a #bjae analysis of agency data found that the application of ,,cpfa requirements increased ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development's and ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture's costs for shipping food aid by about #bc percent1 or #ajg million1 compared with the estimated shipping costs without application of ,,cpfa requirements1 from ,april #bjaa through fiscal year #bjad42 ,whereas1 in a ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development fact sheet titled3 ,food ,aid ,reform3 ,behind the ,numbers1 the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development stated that eliminating the mandatory cargo preference reimbursements will reduce the deficit by an estimated #ej1jjj1jjj per year2 ,whereas1 in ,march #bjbj1 the ,american ,enterprise ,institute published a report titled ,the ,cost of ,cargo ,preferences for ,international ,food ,aid ,programs1 which-- 7#a7 found that removing cargo preference requirements would allow for between #cf and #fd million of already appropriated funds to go to feeding the hungry and would benefit ,u4,s4 soft power globally2 7#b7 stated that ,owners of ,u4,s4-flagged vessels do not just charge higher freight rates for emergency aid shipments4 ,they also use older1 slower1 and less efficient ships that take more time to complete their journeys1 adding significantly to delays in the delivery of urgently needed resources to populations at risk of malnutrition42 and 7#c7 concluded that cargo preference for food aid imposes substantial costs of ,,usaid's ,title ,,ii program budget4 4 4 4 ,the impacts are substantial1 reducing the funds available for additional food aid programs by #eb4hc million a year42 ,whereas1 in a ,march #be1 #bjbb1 information note titled ,the importance of ,ukraine and the ,russian ,federation for global agricultural markets and the risks associated with the current conflict1 the ,food and ,agriculture ,organization 7referred to in this preamble as the ,,fao7 of the ,united ,nations stated that-- 7#a7 the invasion of ,ukraine could raise food prices by #h to #bb percent above their already elevated baseline levels2 7#b7 current indications are that1 as a result of the conflict1 between #bj and #cj percent of areas sown to winter crops in ,ukraine will remain unharvested during the #bjbb_/bc season1 with the yields of these crops also likely to be adversely affected2 and 7#c7 ,,fao's simulations suggest that under such a scenario1 the global number of undernourished people could increase by #h to #ac million people in #bjbb_/bc1 with the most pronounced increases taking place in ,asia-,pacific1 followed by sub-,saharan ,africa1 and the ,near ,east and ,north ,africa42 ,whereas1 on ,april #h1 #bjbb1 the ,associated ,press published that ,the ,u4,n4 ,food and ,agriculture ,organization said its ,food ,price ,index1 which tracks monthly changes in international prices for a basket of commodities1 averaged #aei4c points last month1 up #ab4f from ,february1 and that ,as it is1 the ,february index was the highest level since its inception in #aiij42 ,whereas1 on ,april #bg1 #bjbb1 the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development said in a press release that ,the world is suffering from historic levels of global food insecurity1 which is being exacerbated by the impact ,russia's war on ,ukraine is having on global food supplies4 ,available estimates suggest that an additional #dj million people could be pushed into poverty and food insecurity as a result of ,russia's aggression42 ,whereas1 on ,april #bg1 #bjbb1 the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 ,samantha ,power1 said that ,in ,ukraine1 which provides #aj percent of the world's wheat1 farmers are struggling to plant and harvest their crops for fear of shelling and ,russian landmines1 and their path to exporting these vital commodities is severely restricted by ,russia's invasion1 which caused the closure of ,ukraine's ports42 and ,whereas1 on ,april #bg1 #bjbb1 ,secretary of ,agriculture ,tom ,vilsack1 said that ,russia's unprovoked war on ,ukraine1 a fellow major agricultural export country1 is driving food and energy costs higher for people around the world43 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that-- 7#a7 a state of emergency exists due to the ,russian invasion of ,ukraine2 7#b7 such state of emergency justifies a waiver of the minimum tonnage requirements that apply to cargoes procured1 furnished1 or financed by the ,united ,states ,government1 in accordance with section #eecje7;c7 of title #df1 ,united ,states ,code2 and 7#c7 the heads of the appropriate agencies shall be notified of such waiver4