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, executive director of the World Food Program, on “Face the Nation”, which aired on June 9, 2024.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We’re joined now by the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, Cindy McCain, it’s good to have you here in person.

UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CINDY MCCAIN: Thank you.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Overnight we learned that that US pier off Gaza that was set up by the military had reopened. It stopped working for a while. How is it going? Because I know you’re helping oversee the distribution.

MCCAIN: Well, right now we’re on pause because I’m concerned about the safety of our people after yesterday’s incidents. We also – two of our warehouses – warehouse complex, were attacked yesterday, so we retreated just for a moment to make sure we are in safe condition and on safe ground before we restart. But the rest of the country is operational. We are doing everything we can in the north and south.

MARGARET BRENNAN: How have your rentals skyrocketed? I imagine you resolve the conflicts and share your locations with the Israeli military.

MCCAIN: We are conflicted. I don’t know. That’s a good question.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Have you lost any of your–

MCCAIN: We had one man injured, but everything is fine. No one else is hurt. But actually, it’s the kind of thing that explains the need for a ceasefire. That’s why we need to put an end to this, so that we can go big with our help and also with other and other help from other organizations. We can’t continue with this in a way, because what almost happened in the north with the famine could happen in the south. And that’s what we’re trying to avoid now. And it’s been really difficult, just because of what’s been going on. You know, we had looting within the country, we had, you know, several problems with that. You know, there’s always something going on. It is very difficult to operate there.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You just mentioned total starvation in the North. When you said that, it got a lot of attention. Prime Minister Netanyahu was asked by NBC about his comments and was quoted as saying “Cindy McCain, unfortunately, is misinformed.” The Israeli government has released photos of food being brought into Gaza. They dispute that there is hunger. How does this fit into what you’re seeing on the ground?

MCCAIN: When I made that comment, my people saw it on the ground, not just evidence of it, but also the real impact of it. Since then, they’ve allowed us to bring more trucks up north, and so we’re bringing a lot more food up there, and this will prevent that, but… but listen, the bottom line here is… I make choices every days to take food from the hungry to give to the hungry. We need a ceasefire, we need it now so we can feed ourselves and that doesn’t happen in the south. We’re right on the edge, in the south, of the same thing happening.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you on the brink of famine in southern Gaza?

MCCAIN: Yes. There are… there are people who are very hungry and cannot, cannot access because of the danger, because of… because they have been pushed, you know, to the center again. So we want to make sure that we can not only go in and feed ourselves, but do it at scale. They also need more than food. It’s water, it’s sanitation, it’s medicine, so it’s all of that, because hunger is not just about being hungry, but about all the other things as well.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And I know as I’ve heard that it’s difficult to help a child with stunted growth. You just said you are taking from the hungry to feed the hungry. You are also dealing with a lot in Sudan.

MCCAIN: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: The United States said paramilitary forces murdered 100 people last week, including children. And I know the Biden administration says the world is not paying enough attention to Sudan. What is happening and are they already starving?

MCCAIN: Well, Sudan has the real possibility of becoming the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis. We can’t bring food in, we can barely bring food in, we’re certainly not getting it in on a large scale, and you see the results of what can happen if people aren’t fed. We are also entering the lean season, which often makes it very difficult for our trucks to operate if they are allowed in at all. We need – we need more – the same exercise – we need more crossings. We need secure, unrestricted access. And by the way, the same applies to Gaza: safe, unrestricted access and ensuring that we can enter and ensuring that we can feed ourselves on a large scale. Again, it’s about the agreements of various people and various factions and all that. The bottom line is that people will starve to death if we don’t get in there.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ve been talking all week about America’s role in the world, and the U.S. is still the largest donor to the World Food Program. When you were here last June and we spoke, you said you were trying to encourage China to get involved in financing, but also to get their expertise in technology and agriculture. Are they moving forward? Are other countries advancing?

MCCAIN: Other countries are moving forward. You know, it’s not on the scale it was two years ago, but… but countries have moved forward, and in the case of Sudan, a few more have moved forward in that direction. Sudan is a forgotten crisis and its implications, being a destabilizing factor in that region, could have catastrophic effects as they progress. So it’s really imperative that we open the crossings, that we have safe access, that the factions, the various factions, understand that we are, you know, we are humanitarians and we need to have access.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And by the way, U.S. intelligence has said that if this is not put into practice, it could 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 that’s the case, terrorism may be the choice they have to make.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Cindy McCain, thank you for sharing with us.

MCCAIN: Thank you, thank you for the good work.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll be back in a moment.