Friends,

After ten years of work, the Senate passed Jubilee's Corporate Transparency Act. Thanks to the tens of thousands of phone calls, postcards, petitions and letters that you generated - now our legislation heads to President Trump's desk to be signed into law.

Our legislation reveals the real owners of so-called anonymous shell companies to authorities. Shell corporations are used by polluters, tax-evaders, human traffickers and public officials who steal debt relief and development aid. United Nations experts recently found that $1.6 trillion is laundered per year through shell companies and related mechanisms.

After this historic victory, as Jubilee USA continues our year-end COVID-19 stimulus advocacy on student debt and poverty alleviation, we need you to call your Senators now for Puerto Rico. Please call now as Puerto Rico aid, jobs and child poverty reduction face votes in this Congress.

As you make your calls, Puerto Rico's religious leaders, our Jubilee USA staff, national religious partners and grassroots religious leaders are meeting with Republican Senate leadership as stimulus negotiations continue.

Puerto Rico needs disaster recovery monies, measures to bring back pharmaceutical manufacturing jobs and the authorization of $1.2 billion for Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that impact 1.5 million people on the island. Across Puerto Rico, leaders of the Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Christian (Disciples) and Evangelical Churches and Puerto Rico Council of Churches, Catholic Charities (Caritas) and General Bible Society are leading this campaign with Jubilee USA.

Because of your actions already, the House passed a stimulus bill including the additional $1.2 billion for Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, exactly our demand. The White House announced $13 billion in Puerto Rico disaster aid to rebuild the power grid and schools. President Trump expressed support for Jubilee USA and Puerto Rico religious leaders’ call to bring back jobs to the island.

Now the Senate must act.

Your calls to Congress really matter and already made a difference. We know that even 3 calls from constituents can change the minds of Senators. Please make a call for Puerto Rico today. Your calls amplify our meetings with Senate Republicans and Puerto Rico religious leaders, grassroots US religious leaders and national religious partners from the Evangelical Lutheran Church to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The power of Jubilee USA resonates on a global, national and local level. The calls you make to Congress along with petitions from hundreds of national and local faith communities and mainstream interfaith voices win campaigns. It's why we just moved forward a major global COVID G20 debt relief deal for poor countries. It's why after 10 years of work, we just passed the Corporate Transparency Act.

Jubilee USA Network coordinated over 100 faith communities and some of the largest US religious institutions to encourage Congress and the White House to pass the legislation. Some of the religious groups joining Jubilee USA to pass our Corporate Transparency Act included: the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, National Council of Churches, Presbyterian Church, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, Catholic religious orders and Jewish, Christian and Muslim faith communities.

Our new Jubilee anti-corruption law is the fruit of years of bipartisan advocacy and national and local grassroots organizing. Since 2015, we continually moved Congress on Puerto Rico. Now we must make sure that the Senate addresses Puerto Rico's 60% child poverty epidemic, disaster aid and supports bringing jobs back to island. Congress and the White House will act on Puerto Rico this year or early next year. Please call your Senators as soon as possible.

In 2020, because of your partnership, we continue to win campaigns and make the impossible, possible. Let's win more, before the new year.

Gratefully,

Eric

Eric LeCompte
Executive Director

Twitter: @Eric_LeCompte
www.jubileeusa.org/support-us