Jubilee USA
We’ve received a lot of calls and emails from Jubilee supporters who have called during our Leap Into Action Call-In Days their senators and representatives about the Jubilee Act (S. 2166 and H.R.2634), which will soon to be considered in the House and Senate.
The Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation will expand eligibility for 100 percent debt cancellation without harmful economic conditions to 67 impoverished countries in the Global South.
When you call your senators or representative, you’re calling on behalf of the millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and Asia who suffer when debt repayment must be prioritized over health care, education and clean water.
Every day, Sub-Saharan Africa sends $100,000 back to America in debt payments. Imagine what could be done with that money if it were to stay in those countries.
The call you make today is a part of a national campaign to pass the Jubilee Act within the 55 legislative days Congress has this year. This is the last and final session of Congress before the elections with most of the legislative days being frontloaded prior to June.
This tight deadline makes it even more imperative for ONE members and others to call their members of Congress and urge them to co-sponsor this bill.
Get the Call Script here.
More Information About the Jubilee Act here.
-Monet Cooper, Jubilee USA
Feb 22nd, 2008 10:50 AM UTC
By Field
Today, as part of Jubilee’s “Measure Up” campaign, a group of global poverty advocates and debt campaigners met with Senator Voinovich’s District Representative in Columbus, Ohio. The purpose of the meeting was to ask the Senator to become a co-sponsor of the Jubilee Act (S 2166). Our group of 4 was made up of Katie Andrews, organizer for the ONE Campaign, Ginnie Vogts, an organizer for Results, Loretta Raiford local volunteer with ONE, and Brian Swarts, national organizer for Jubilee USA.
The group highlighted for Khisha Fallon, the District Representative, the importance of reducing global poverty and the effectiveness of debt cancellation. Katie spoke about debt is holding back a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa from reaching the Millennium Development Goals. Ginnie pointed out that reducing poverty is critical to increasing global security, as impoverished countries are more vulnerable to political instability and even terrorist activity. Loretta shared her experiences working in refugee camps in Uganda, and seeing the heart-breaking need there for increased investment in health care, education and clean water. Lastly, Brian emphasized the fact that it makes good economic sense to take pro-active steps to fight poverty in places like sub-Saharan Africa, where many countries are so poor that they cannot reduce poverty through economic growth alone – cooperation from other countries is essential.
While Senator Voinovich has not issued a statement on the Jubilee Act, Khisha has said that she will pass on our ideas to him. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Voinovich would be joining Ranking Member Richard Lugar (IN) and Senator Johnny Isakson (GA) in co-sponsoring the Jubilee Act.
-Brian Swarts, National Field Organizer, Jubilee USA
As Steve Radelet reported here on the ONE Blog on Monday, after a 18 month delay, the IMF is finally moving ahead with debt relief for Liberia!
Yesterday, the director of the IMF’s External Relations Department issued a statement::
“We have received a large volume of emails on this topic, so this letter is being posted because it is impossible to respond to each message individually….Their strong support to the cause of debt relief contributed to the broad donor support that made this financing possible.”
Jubilee, DATA, the Center for Global Development, Foreign Policy In Focus, and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops did incredible work keeping up the pressure, and ONE members sent tens of thousands of emails pushing the IMF for this action.
It’s not a bad day – when we get proof that our voices are being heard, and that our actions are truly making a difference for the poorest people in this world.
Read the full statement on the IMF site.
-Virginia Simmons
The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on the Jubilee Act this morning.
Neil Watkins, Jubilee USA Action, gave a great speech on extending the promise of debt relief:
“Debt cancellation now has a ten year record of success and it is a proven tool to fight global poverty…Earlier this year I had the opportunity to see the impact of debt cancellation firsthand when a Jubilee delegation visited the Siavonga Rural Health Clinic in the Zambian countryside.
As we toured the clinic, Grace Chibanda, a pharmacist, showed us the pharmacy, which was full of Anti-Retroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS. ‘Debt relief is a good thing,’ Grace told us. ‘It is getting medicines for people who didn’t have it before.”
Rep. Bachus gave an impassioned opening statement about the plight of those living in extreme poverty, “…on our worst days in Washington, we have more food, more shelter and more security than millions of our brothers and sisters have on their best days.” He went on talk about the importance of debt relief as the first step toward breaking the chains of poverty.
Read more from the hearing here.
-Erin Erlenborn, ONE’s Director of Government Affairs
During the last two weeks, ONE members sent more than 48,000 letters and made 4,200 calls to their members of Congress urging them to support the Jubilee Act.
Before we took these thousands of actions, there was a Jubilee bill in the House with just 52 cosponsors, and no companion bill in the Senate.
Now, after Jubilee USA and ONE’s campaigns, 27 more representatives have signed on to cosponsor the Jubilee Act in the House, the Senate has introduced a companion bill and 10 key senators have signed on to cosponsor it.
You can see the full list of representatives and senators who have shown their support by cosponsoring here and here on Thomas.loc.gov.
If your representative or either of your state’s senators are signed on, please thank them using our online tool.
If your representative’s or either of your senators’ names aren’t on the list, there’s still plenty you can do to encourage them.
1.) Write a letter to your members of Congress.
2.) Call their office. All the talking points you need are here.
3.) Write a letter to the editor to your local paper about unjust debt in the developing world and the Jubilee Act.
4.) Schedule a meeting with your representative’s state or DC office. Email giveyourtime@one.org for all the resources you’ll need.
Use the comment thread below to let us know if your representative and senators have signed on yet – and to add your ideas or questions about how to get their support for this critical bill.
Representatives Waters (D-CA) and Bachus (R-AL) introduced the Jubilee Act in the House of Representatives in June.
If you don’t see your representative’s name in the list of co-sponsors below, please call 1800 786-2663 and encourage your elected leader to co-sponsor today!
Currently there are 68 co-sponsors.
Rep. Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] – 10/2/2007
Rep. Berman, Howard L. [CA-28] – 9/24/2007
Rep. Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [GA-2] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [OR-3] – 6/19/2007
Rep. Brady, Robert A. [PA-1] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Brown, Corrine [FL-3] – 6/28/2007
Rep. Capps, Lois [CA-23] – 6/28/2007
Rep. Carnahan, Russ [MO-3] – 10/15/2007
Rep. Carson, Julia [IN-7] – 6/26/2007
Rep. Christensen, Donna M. [VI] – 6/28/2007
Rep. Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] – 6/19/2007
Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [MO-5] – 6/7/2007
Rep. Cohen, Steve [TN-9] – 9/7/2007
Rep. Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] – 6/28/2007
Rep. Crowley, Joseph [NY-7] – 10/12/2007
Rep. Davis, Artur [AL-7] – 6/28/2007
Rep. Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] – 10/12/2007
Rep. Davis, Susan A. [CA-53] – 9/24/2007
Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [TX-25] – 10/12/2007
Rep. Doyle, Michael F. [PA-14] – 8/2/2007
Rep. Edwards, Chet [TX-17] – 9/24/2007
Rep. Ellison, Keith [MN-5] – 10/12/2007
Rep. Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] – 7/30/2007
Rep. Filner, Bob [CA-51] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Green, Al [TX-9] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] – 6/19/2007
Rep. Gutierrez, Luis V. [IL-4] – 6/7/2007
Rep. Hastings, Alcee L. [FL-23] – 6/19/2007
Rep. Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22] – 6/19/2007
Rep. Honda, Michael M. [CA-15] – 9/24/2007
Rep. Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] – 6/19/2007
Rep. Jefferson, William J. [LA-2] – 6/19/2007
Rep. Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30] – 6/26/2007
Rep. Jones, Stephanie Tubbs [OH-11] – 10/2/2007
Rep. Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10] – 7/30/2007
Rep. Lee, Barbara [CA-9] – 6/7/2007
Rep. Lewis, John [GA-5] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [CA-16] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] – 6/7/2007
Rep. McDermott, Jim [WA-7] – 9/7/2007
Rep. McGovern, James P. [MA-3] – 6/26/2007
Rep. McNulty, Michael R. [NY-21] – 6/26/2007
Rep. Miller, George [CA-7] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Moore, Gwen [WI-4] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Moran, James P. [VA-8] – 6/26/2007
Rep. Murphy, Christopher S. [CT-5] – 9/24/2007
Rep. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] – 6/19/2007
Rep. Oberstar, James L. [MN-8] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Olver, John W. [MA-1] – 9/7/2007
Rep. Pastor, Ed [AZ-4] – 9/24/2007
Rep. Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10] – 6/7/2007
Rep. Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] – 6/26/2007
Rep. Richardson, Laura [CA-37] – 10/12/2007
Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1] – 6/26/2007
Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] – 6/26/2007
Rep. Serrano, Jose E. [NY-16] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] – 6/28/2007
Rep. Van Hollen, Chris [MD-8] – 10/12/2007
Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [FL-20] – 10/12/2007
Rep. Watson, Diane E. [CA-33] – 9/24/2007
Rep. Watt, Melvin L. [NC-12] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Welch, Peter [VT] – 9/24/2007
Rep. Wexler, Robert [FL-19] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] – 7/11/2007
Rep. Wu, David [OR-1] – 6/19/2007
Yesterday, Jubilee USA wrapped up their 40-day fast with a terrific victory! Senators Robert Casey (D-PA), Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) introduced the Jubilee Act with Senators Joseph Biden (D-DE), John Sununu (R-NH) and Barack Obama (D-IL) as original co-sponsors of the legislation.
Today, Jubilee members are walking the Halls of Congress trying to build support for their bill. Please encourage everyone to call using our ONE 800 number (1-800-786-2663) to garner support for this important legislation.
All the talking points you need are here.
Thanks!
-Erin Erlenborn, ONE’s Government Affairs Director
