February 12, 2026
Ms. Waters (for herself, Mr. Carson, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Fields, Mrs. Foushee, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Lynch, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McGovern, and Ms. Norton) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
To ensure sufficient food assistance for the civilian population of Gaza.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Food for Palestinian Children and Families in Gaza Act of 2026
.
Sec. 2. Ensuring Sufficient Food Assistance for the Civilian Population of Gaza
(a) Certification
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall certify and report to Congress that—
(1)
oversight policies, processes, and procedures have been established by the Department of State, as appropriate, and are in use to ensure that sufficient food assistance is being provided to the civilian population of Gaza to ensure that—
(A)
all children in Gaza are able to eat at least three nutritious meals each day; and
(B)
all other civilians in Gaza are able to eat at least two nutritious meals each day; and
(2)
such policies, processes, and procedures have been developed in coordination with the World Food Program, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and other appropriate United Nations agencies, other bilateral and multilateral donors, international nongovernmental organizations, the Government of Israel, and representatives of the Palestinian people, as appropriate.
(b) Oversight policy and procedures
The Secretary of State shall submit to Congress, concurrent with the submission of the certification required by subsection (a), a written description of the oversight policies, processes, and procedures for the distribution of food assistance in Gaza, including food assistance provided by the United States, food assistance provided by other bilateral and multilateral donors, and food assistance provided by international nongovernmental organizations, and the role of the Government of Israel in the oversight of such assistance.
(c) Requirement To report
The Secretary of State shall provide a report to Congress, which shall be made available to the public, not later than 30 days after the certification required by subsection (a), on how much food assistance is being distributed in Gaza, how many children and adults are being served in Gaza, the donors that are providing the assistance, and how the food is being distributed.
(d) Requirement To inform
(1) In general
The Secretary of State shall promptly inform Congress of each instance in which food assistance that is made available for Gaza, for the purposes described in (a)(1), has been denied entrance into Gaza or has been diverted or misused in Gaza.
(2) Matters to be included
The Secretary of State shall include in the information required by paragraph (1) the type of assistance, the donor that provided the assistance, a description of the incident and parties involved, and an explanation of the response of the Department of State, as appropriate.