Puerto Rico, Somalia and the World's Poor Hunger for Jubilee: Debt, Transparency, Trade and Disaster Economics

Washington, DC - On Monday the Senate failed to pass disaster relief funding to benefit Americans impacted by wildfires, hurricanes, flooding and other natural disasters. Republicans and Democrats clashed over recovery aid amounts for Puerto Rico and two separate proposals could not muster enough votes for passage.

"The Senate must work together and pass a disaster relief package that ensures Americans from Iowa to Puerto Rico get the recovery aid they need," stated Eric LeCompte the Executive Director of Jubilee USA, a religious development group. "Because of the Senate's inability to take action, over a million vulnerable people in Puerto Rico lost food assistance benefits last month. The Senate must move forward a disaster relief package immediately."

As Puerto Rico disaster aid continues to be debated, additional relief monies are on hold for Americans suffering from disasters in Nebraska, Iowa, North Carolina, Florida and Georgia

Washington DC - Ahead of the Spring International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings, the head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde delivered a speech to the US Chamber of Commerce, "A Delicate Moment for the Global Economy: Three Priority Areas for Action."

"As world leaders prepare for the Spring IMF meetings, Lagarde is raising concerns about the state of the global economy.

"Lagarde calls for tackling unsustainable debt, corporate tax avoidance and global corruption. She acknowledges that when trade deals are done wrong, it can hurt workers and the poor.

"When we look at Lagarde's speech in light of IMF reports from the last year on growing risks facing the global economy, the IMF is heightening concern for economic stability and growth."

Read the full speech here: https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2019/03/29/sp040219-a-delicate-moment-for-the-global-economy

Kate Zeller
Campaigns Director

Washington, DC - The Senate agreed to vote next week on disaster relief legislation that includes $600 million in emergency food assistance for Puerto Rico. In recent days, a turbulent exchange between President Trump and Congressional leadership exploded over whether or not Puerto Rico disaster aid monies should be included in Senate legislation.

“We need to urgently pass more disaster relief for Puerto Rico. Too many fellow Americans continue to suffer in Puerto Rico because of the hurricanes and a terrible financial crisis," said Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA, whose organization ran a three-month campaign to pass $600 million for Puerto Rico's Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP).

Now, legislation poised for Senate vote as early as Monday includes funding for Puerto Rico's NAP. The "food stamps" program supports poor people affected after 2017 hurricanes decimated the island. The Senate legislation restores benefits for more than 1 million participants who lost food assistance benefits on March 1st.

Some lawmakers complain that not enough disaster aid for Puerto Rico is moving forward and some monies are stalled from delivery. Various Congress amendments and actions seek to deliver more disaster aid for the debt-strapped US Territory.

“Aid that was promised by Congress needs to be urgently delivered to Puerto Rico,” stated LeCompte. "The promise from Congress to relieve Puerto Rico's debt must also be delivered."

In 2016 Congress passed emergency debt restructuring legislation for Puerto Rico. The legislation, PROMESA or Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act, formed an oversight board for Puerto Rico, which is considering a new budget plan for Puerto Rico.

Washington DC - The House of Representatives is holding hearings on legislative initiatives to deter corruption and secrecy in the global financial system. The Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy convenes a March 13th hearing on "Promoting Corporate Transparency: Examining Legislative Proposals to Detect and Deter Financial Crime."

The Congressional Hearing explores the role that shell corporations play in hiding the true owner or actual person who benefits from a business.

"Some anonymous shell companies facilitate the theft of development aid and debt relief, the exploitation of vulnerable communities and the support of corrupt regimes in the developing world," wrote Jubilee USA Director Eric LeCompte in a letter to Congress ahead of the hearing. The letter from the head of the religious development group continues, "Shell companies contribute to an estimated one trillion dollars leaving the developing world annually through tax evasion and corruption. In the United States, anonymous shell companies contribute to Medicare fraud, thefts from vulnerable communities and human trafficking."

The House Committee is reviewing a discussion draft of the "Corporate Transparency Act of 2019," which makes the real identity of the owner of a shell company available to law enforcement and financial institutions.

Additional legislative solutions are under review during the House Hearing. The hearing docket examines draft legislation on hidden illegal monies and a Bill introduced in January to expose foreign corruption, the "Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Act."

"In the US and around the world, poor people are too often exploited by financial secrecy," stated LeCompte. "Action by Congress can increase global transparency and provide resources for development."

Read Jubilee USA's full letter to Congress on the hearing, “Promoting Corporate Transparency: Examining Legislative Proposals to Detect and Deter Financial Crime"

Visit the House Financial Services Committee to watch and review information on the hearing

The Honorable Maxine Waters
Chairwoman
U.S. House Committee on Financial Services
2129 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Patrick McHenry
Ranking Member
U.S. House Committee on Financial Services
4340 O'Neill House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20002

Re: March 13th Transparency Hearing and the Corporate Transparency Act of 2019

Dear Chairwoman Waters and Ranking Member McHenry:

On behalf of Jubilee USA, I want to thank-you for your support of our bipartisan initiatives to promote transparency, accountability and protections for the vulnerable in our financial system. Jubilee USA supports your March 13th, 2019 hearing on “Promoting Corporate Transparency: Examining Legislative Proposals to Detect and Deter Financial Crime.”

As you know from our work together in the past, Jubilee USA’s religious institutions, members and founders include more than 700 Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith communities and the US Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, Catholic and United Church of Christ Churches. On behalf of our network, we are concerned with how financial secrecy, corruption and tax evasion impact vulnerable communities in the United States and around our world.

Some anonymous shell companies facilitate the theft of development aid and debt relief, the exploitation of vulnerable communities and the support of corrupt regimes in the developing world. Shell companies contribute to an estimated one trillion dollars leaving the developing world annually through tax evasion and corruption. In the United States, anonymous shell companies contribute to Medicare fraud, thefts from vulnerable communities and human trafficking.

The draft of the 2019 Corporate Transparency Act takes important steps toward ending abuses of anonymous companies. Increasing corporate transparency reduces corrupt behavior and can provide resources for US and global development. By identifying the owner who benefits from the existence of a corporation or collecting “beneficial ownership” data, law enforcement has tools to find criminals, corrupt public officials and deter enterprises that exploit the poor. Legislation that offers a clear and comprehensive definition of beneficial ownership avoids the pitfalls of inadequate definitions that only identify managers, directors or other stand-ins for the true owner(s).

The 2016 release of the “Panama Papers” was instructive in this regard. Due to lax rules around corporate ownership information, a single employee at the Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca, served as the named entity for approximately 20,000 companies. She had little-to-no knowledge of the beneficial owners of those 20,000 companies.

Another crucial area in the draft is the provision governing access to information gathered. State and local law enforcement must have access because most investigations into illegal activity are performed by state and local officials in the United States. Financial institutions, which have anti-money laundering responsibilities, should have appropriate access to beneficial ownership by simple request.

On behalf of all at Jubilee USA we hold you in prayer as you work to ensure that our financial system protects the poor and fights corruption.

Sincerely,

Eric LeCompte
Executive Director

CC: Members of the House Financial Services Committee

PDF Version available here.