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Transcript: Cindy McCain, World Food Programme executive director, on “Face the Nation,” June 9, 2024
The following is a transcript of an interview with Cindy McCain, World Food Programme executive director, on “Face the Nation” that aired on June 9, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’re joined now by the executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme, Cindy McCain, good to have you here in person.
U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CINDY MCCAIN: Thank you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Now overnight, we learned that that U.S. pier off of Gaza that was set up by the military has reopened. It had stopped functioning for a bit. How is it going? Because I know you are helping to oversee distribution.
MCCAIN: Well, right now we’re paused because I’m concerned about the safety of our people after the incidents yesterday. We also- two of our warehouses- warehouse complex, were rocketed yesterday, so we’ve stepped back just for the moment to make sure that we’re in- on safe terms and on safe ground before, before we’ll restart. But the rest of the country is operational. We’re doing- we’re doing everything we can in the north and the south.
MARGARET BRENNAN: How did your locations get rocketed? I imagine you do de-conflict and share your locations with the Israeli military.
MCCAIN: We are de conflicted. I don’t know. That’s a- it’s a good question.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Did you lose any of your–
MCCAIN: We had one man injured, but everything else is fine. Nobody else is hurt. But indeed, it’s- it’s the kind of thing that’s why a ceasefire is necessary. That’s why we need to stop this so that we can get in at scale with our aid and other and other aid from other organizations as well. We can’t continue this in a way, because what almost happened in the north with famine could happen in the south. And so that’s what we’re trying to avoid right now. And it’s been very difficult, just because of the- of what’s going on. You know, we’ve had looting inside the country, we’ve had, you know, various problems around with it. You know, there’s always something going on. It’s very difficult to operate there.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You mentioned just now the full blown famine in the north. When you said that, it got a lot of attention. Prime Minister Netanyahu was asked about your comments by NBC and said quote “Cindy McCain, unfortunately, is misinformed.” The Israeli government’s been putting out pictures of food being brought into Gaza. They dispute there is famine. How does that square with what you are seeing on the ground?
MCCAIN: When I made that comment, my people had seen it on the ground, not only evidence of it, but the actual impact of it. Since then, they’ve allowed us to get more trucks into the north, and so we’re getting much more food in- in up there, and that will stave it off, but- but listen, the bottom line here is- is I make choices every day to take food from the hungry to give to the starving. We need a ceasefire, we need it now so we can feed and this doesn’t happen in the south. We’re right on the edge in the south of the same thing occurring.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You’re on the edge of famine in the south of Gaza?
MCCAIN: Yes. There’s- there’s people that are very hungry and can’t- don’t have access because of the danger, because of- because they’ve been pushed, you know, into the center again. So we want to make sure that we can- can not just get in and feed, but do it at scale. They need more than food, too. It’s water, it’s sanitation, it’s medicine, so it’s all of the above, because famine is not just about starving, it’s about all the other things too.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And I know how difficult I’ve heard it is to help a child with stunted growth. You just said you’re- you’re taking from the hungry to feed the starving. You are dealing with a lot in Sudan as well.
MCCAIN: Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The United States said paramilitary forcers- forces murdered 100 people this past week, including children. And I know the Biden administration says the world’s not paying enough attention to Sudan. What’s happening and are they already at famine?
MCCAIN: Well, Sudan has the real possibility of becoming the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. We cannot get food in, we can barely get food in, we certainly aren’t getting it in at scale, and you see the results of what can happen if people aren’t fed. We’re also coming into the lean season, which makes it very difficult many times for our trucks to even operate if they can get in. We need- we need more- same drill- we need more crossings. We need safe and unfettered access. And that’s the same for Gaza, by the way, safe and unfettered access and making sure that- we that we can get in and make sure we can feed at scale. Once again, it’s about the agreements from various people and various factions and all of this. Bottom line is people are going to starve to death unless we get in there.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ve been talking all week long about America’s role in the world, and the U.S. is still the largest donor to the World Food Programme. When you were here last June and we spoke, you said you were trying to encourage China to get involved with funding, but also get their expertise with technology and agriculture. Are they stepping up at all? Are other countries stepping up?
MCCAIN: Other countries are stepping up. You know, it’s not to the scale that it was two years ago, but it- but countries have stepped up, and in the case of Sudan, a few more have stepped up to it. Sudan is a forgotten crisis, and its implications being a destabilizing factor in that region, can have catastrophic effects as it comes down- comes down the line. So it’s really imperative that we get the crossings open, that we have safe access, that the- factions, the various factions, understand that we are, you know, we’re humanitarian, and we need to have the access.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And to your point U.S. intelligence has said that if this isn’t acted upon, that it can contribute to the growth of terrorism–
MCCAIN: Absolutely–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –just like in Gaza.
MCCAIN: –people, people will do anything to feed their families, and if it comes down to it, terrorism may be the choice they have to make.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Cindy McCain, thank you for sharing with us.
MCCAIN: Thank you, thanks for good work.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll be back in a moment.
Frito-Lay is recalling a limited number of 13 oz. bags of Lay’s Classic Potato Chips after being alerted by a consumer contact that the product may contain undeclared milk.
The bags of chips affected by recall were distributed to certain retail stores and e-commerce distributors in Oregon and Washington and were available for sale beginning Nov. 3, 2024.
“Those with an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the recalled product,” the Food and Drug Administration said in the recall notice posted Thursday.
No allergic reactions related to the recall have been reported, according to the recall. Additionally, no other Lay’s products, flavors, sizes or variety packs are affected.
FDA
The recalled chips include Lay’s Classic Potato Chips, in flexible 13 oz. (368.5 grams) bags with UPC code 28400 31041, a “Guaranteed Fresh” date of 11 Feb 2025, and one of either two manufacturing codes: 6462307xx or 6463307xx.
General guidelines from the FDA advise consumers who have purchased any recalled food to dispose of the product or return it to the retailer for a full refund.
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What is the debt ceiling? Here’s why Trump wants Congress to abolish it before he takes office
Washington — President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and billionaire Elon Musk blew up a GOP-backed deal to fund federal agencies into March, raising the pressure on Republican congressional leaders to craft a plan to avert a government shutdown just before the holidays.
In a statement Wednesday, Trump and Vance lambasted the agreement for including provisions favored by Democrats. But the incoming president and vice president also added a new, significant wrinkle to negotiations when they urged Congress to raise or abolish the debt ceiling now, instead of next year.
“Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch,” Trump and Vance said in their statement. “If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration? Let’s have this debate now.”
What is the debt ceiling?
Set by Congress, the debt ceiling, or limit, is the maximum amount of money the U.S. Treasury is authorized to borrow to pay debts incurred by the federal government. Lifting the debt ceiling does not authorize new spending, but instead lets the government spend money on obligations that Congress has already been approved.
Failing to address the debt ceiling could lead the U.S. to default on its debt, which would have devastating effects on the economy. The government has never defaulted, and the Treasury typically uses accounting moves, known as “extraordinary measures,” to delay breaching the debt ceiling.
While raising the debt ceiling used to be routine, legislation addressing it has in recent years been used as leverage to force policy concessions and fuel debates over government spending.
Congress last addressed the debt ceiling in June 2023 as part of a legislative package negotiated by President Biden and then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. That deal suspended the debt ceiling through Jan., 1, 2025, ensuring any fight over it would take place after the 2024 elections.
The Treasury Department will likely implement extraordinary measures to stave off a default in the new year. It will also announce an “X date,” the estimated point at which the government will no longer be able to pay its obligations. The Economic Policy Innovation Center, a conservative think tank, projected in an analysis released Monday that it’s possible the debt limit will be reached by June 16.
While the Treasury Department’s use of extraordinary measures would give Congress more time to address the debt ceiling, Trump is now urging lawmakers to take action now, before he takes office.
Why does Trump want to raise the debt ceiling?
The president-elect will come into office with a legislative to-do list that includes securing the border and extending provisions of his signature Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was enacted in 2017 and overhauled the tax code. But a fight over the debt ceiling could complicate efforts by the Republican-led House and Senate to focus on those legislative initiatives and pass them quickly.
Trump is urging lawmakers to eliminate the debt ceiling altogether, a position that some prominent Democrats have endorsed in the past.
“Number one, the debt ceiling should be thrown out entirely,” Trump said in a phone interview Thursday with CBS News’ Robert Costa. “Number two, a lot of the different things they thought they’d receive [in a recently proposed spending deal] are now going to be thrown out, 100 percent. And we’ll see what happens. We’ll see whether or not we have a closure during the Biden administration. But if it’s going to take place, it’s going to take place during Biden, not during Trump.”
Trump separately told ABC News that “there won’t be anything approved unless the debt ceiling is done with,” indicating any spending deal to prevent a shutdown must address the debt limit.
“If we don’t get it, then we’re going to have a shutdown, but it’ll be a Biden shutdown, because shutdowns only [injure] the person who’s president,” he told ABC News.
Whether Republicans and Democrats would go along with such a plan, though, is far from clear. GOP lawmakers in both chambers have opposed raising the debt ceiling without spending reforms, and debates over the debt limit often give way to broader fights over the federal budget, which conservatives in Congress have said is bloated and should be reduced. Plus, Democrats still control the Senate and the White House.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Wednesday that shutting down the government would harm families and endanger services Americans rely on.
“Republicans need to stop playing politics with this bipartisan agreement or they will hurt hardworking Americans and create instability across the country,” she said. “President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance ordered Republicans to shut down the government and they are threatening to do just that — while undermining communities recovering from disasters, farmers and ranchers, and community health centers.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries suggested Democrats would not go along with a plan pushed by Republicans to raise the debt limit.
“GOP extremists want House Democrats to raise the debt ceiling so that House Republicans can lower the amount of your Social Security check. Hard pass,” the New York Democrat wrote on the social media platform Bluesky.
Jeffries also told reporters “the debt limit issue and discussion is premature at best.”