We're Winning, Action Needed ASAP

Friends,

Thanks to your partnership, we won White House support and passed legislation in the House of Representatives to stop human trafficking, raise revenue in the developing world and protect debt relief and development aid.

We now need to leap over the last hurdle: the US Senate. Please make a gift now so we have the resources we desperately need to move the Senate. Contributions to Jubilee USA are doubled now. 

Beyond our 10 year campaign finally winning, we have an unbelievable series of successes to celebrate. In recent weeks:

  • Jubilee USA appeared in tens of thousands of newspapers across the world and in every US State
  • We addressed the world's Presidents and Prime Ministers at the United Nations General Assembly
  • We won debt relief for Puerto Rico
  • Pope Francis and the Vatican highlighted our analysis in the Pope's Africa travels on debt, tax and corruption
  • And Congress committed to vote on our Jubilee legislation within the next few days

Will you please join me and make a contribution to support our mission at Jubilee USA. Gifts are doubled now, tax-deductible and needed to move forward our incredibly urgent campaigns.

Your gift today means we can:

  • Win debt relief for Somalia. Three quarters of Somalia's population lives in extreme poverty and is still recovering from war and instability. Congress will vote on Somalia's debt relief and your support means we can move Congress. Your support also means we can move forward responsible lending and debt and disaster relief for Mozambique and Caribbean islands.

  • We can pass the Corporate Transparency Act in the Senate after we won the House and the White House. This legislation stops "Panama Papers" financial secrecy illustrated in the recent movie, the Laundromat. This behavior facilitates the theft of development aid, human trafficking and contributes to the loss of more than a trillion dollars of revenue in the developing world.

  • Move forward debt and disaster relief for Puerto Rico. Already our efforts together won $50 billion in aid and moved forward a super bankruptcy process for the island. Your gift means we can win debt relief, stop austerity policies, audit the debt and win the $70 billion in recovery aid Puerto Rico still needs.

  • Push for a new NAFTA trade deal that ensures vulnerable populations and all who need life-saving medicines can access the medicines they need. Working together, we already moved the White House to eliminate harmful provisions in trade agreements that favor predatory, debt- collecting hedge funds and abusive corporations. Congress votes this year on our efforts.

  • Address student debt, predatory debt collection and payday lending. Working together, we ensured types of student loans have low interest rates. When you donate to Jubilee USA now, it means our bipartisan, interfaith work can build bridges to protect students and consumers.

Please make a gift of $5, $500, $25, $50, $100 or any amount and it will be doubled. We really need your contribution now.

After we addressed the UN General Assembly two weeks ago, Presidents and Prime Ministers told me how grateful they are that Jubilee USA exists and wins for the vulnerable. When you make a gift today, it will be doubled and double our impact this year to win policies that lift and protect the vulnerable.

Gratefully,

Eric LeCompte
Executive Director

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We Won - Eyes, Action on Senate

Friends,

Together, we did it.

Thanks to your thousands of calls, petitions, postcards and messages - The House of Representatives passed the Corporate Transparency Act by a vote of 249-173, last night.

Our efforts together, also won support from the White House and the US Treasury.

Now - to win, we must move the Senate to pass the Corporate Transparency Act or one of several similar pieces of Jubilee legislation.

Please send an email to your Senators now.

Email your Senators and ask them to cosponsor legislation that reveals the true owners of "anonymous" shell companies. Tell your Senators that this legislation is vital to stop human traffickers, defend vulnerable communities and protect development aid and debt relief.

A decade ago, Jubilee USA found out that debt relief and development aid was stolen by dictators and corrupt officials by using shell companies. As we began our campaign, we saw that human traffickers, arms dealers and criminals who ran Medicare scams - all used "anonymous" shell companies to do their deeds in secret.

Thanks to our partnership and your continued efforts, our Jubilee USA legislation can now become law.

Please take a moment and e-mail the Senate so we can cross the finish line.

Gratefully,



Eric LeCompte
Executive Director

Twitter: @Eric_LeCompte
https://jubileeusa.nationbuilder.com/support-us


P.s. Please make a donation to Jubilee USA Network now. For a limited time, all gifts are doubled. We really need your support to keep winning and to continue our strategic campaigns.

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Corporate Transparency Act Passes House

Washington DC - The House of Representatives passed the Corporate Transparency Act of 2019 (H.R. 2513) by a  249 to 173 vote. The bill reveals the true owners of "anonymous" shell companies to law enforcement.

"This legislation stops human traffickers, corrupt government officials and revenue loss in the developing world,” noted Eric LeCompte, a United Nations finance expert and the Executive Director of the religious development group Jubilee USA. “The Senate must now pass this vital legislation."

The bill now heads to the Senate, where Senators could likely move this bill or similar legislation. The White House and US Treasury pledge support for this type of legislation.

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Congress Votes on Corporate Transparency Act

Washington DC - The House of Representatives scheduled a vote for 5:15 PM EST on the Corporate Transparency Act of 2019 (H.R. 2513). The bill reveals the true owners of "anonymous" shell companies to law enforcement.

"This legislation helps us stop human traffickers and corrupt public officials and protects development aid,” said Eric LeCompte, a United Nations finance expert and the Executive Director of the religious development group Jubilee USA. LeCompte's organization generated thousands of messages to Congress in support of the bill. “Shell companies contribute to a trillion dollar loss to the developing world every single year."

The bill, sponsored by Representatives, Peter King (R-NY), Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) would prevent types of Medicare fraud and stop a number of criminal activities.

Read Jubilee USA's Action Alert on the Corporate Transparency Act

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Today: Congress Jubilee Vote, Call Now - the Corporate Transparency Act

Friends, 

Thanks to your work, Congress votes today on Jubilee legislation to stop corruption, prevent human trafficking and protect debt relief and development aid.

The House of Representatives could vote as early as 5:00 PM today on our Corporate Transparency Act. Your call is needed now. Please take two minutes and tell your Representative to vote for the bipartisan Corporate Transparency Act.

Your actions over the last few weeks, months and years have finally gotten us to this point. In recent weeks, we've generated thousands of phone calls to Congress urging support for the Corporate Transparency Act. Over the weekend, Congregations across the United States ran petition drives and postcard rallies in support of the Corporate Transparency Act.

Tens of thousands of Jews, Christians, Muslims and people of good will - prayed and acted for Jubilee this past weekend.

Today, the United Church of Christ, Catholic religious orders, interfaith organizations and congregations from coast to coast are joining Jubilee USA and sending companion action alerts to even generate more phone calls to Congress.

Today - if we can generate enough calls on our Republican and Democratic led legislation, we can finally win a vote we've been working towards for 10 years.

With a vote about to take place on the Corporate Transparency Act, your call to your Representative can make the difference. Tell your Rep to end financial secrecy, protect vulnerable communities, prevent the profiting of human trafficking, protect aid and debt relief and ensure that poor people aren't exploited.

This vital Jubilee legislation reveals the true owners of "anonymous" shell companies to government authorities. These shell companies hide those who profit from human trafficking, dictators use them to steal development aid and debt relief - these shell companies contribute to a loss of nearly a trillion dollars a year from the developing world.

Your consistent actions on this campaign for the last 10 years made a difference. Your thousands of postcards, phone calls and e-mails in recent weeks have gotten us here today. Now - please make one more phone call so we can move this legislation in the House and then move our campaign to the Senate.


Gratefully,


Kate Zeller

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Jubilee USA Statement on World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings

Washington DC - World leaders, Finance Ministers, heads of corporations and development groups are meeting at the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings.

Eric LeCompte the Executive Director of Jubilee USA, a religious development organization, releases the following statement on the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings and the Communiqué of the International Monetary and Financial Committee:

"The International Monetary Fund released a series of frightening reports this week and expressed great concern for the global economy.

"The Fund warns of corporate debts that are so high, they can be a recipe for global financial crisis. Risky investing, trade tensions and developing countries borrowing too much are serious concerns for financial stability.

"Because of the serious concerns that the IMF is raising, their crisis prevention recommendations fall short of what we need to stop the next financial crisis. We must urgently move forward with both crisis prevention and resolution processes such as a global bankruptcy mechanism.

"While the IMF bolsters lending resources, it seems this is happening at the loss of quota reform. There is a critical democratic need for voting power to be more equally distributed among IMF members."

Read the Jubilee USA release on debt, Argentina, Ecuador and Somalia

Read the Jubilee USA release on the World Economic Outlook Report

Read Jubilee USA's release on the Global Financial Stability Report

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IMF Fears Financial Crisis

Argentina, Ecuador and Somalia Debated Behind Closed Doors

Washington DC - The International Monetary Fund raises fresh global financial crisis fears as Presidents, Finance Ministers, development groups and business leaders gather for the Annual IMF and World Bank Meetings.

"We are seeing strong warnings of a global financial crisis," shared United Nations finance expert and Jubilee USA Director, Eric LeCompte. Since 2010, LeCompte monitored IMF reports and meetings. "The Fund recommends more transparency around risky investments and corporate and country debts. But these recommendations might be too little and too late."

On Tuesday, the IMF downgraded global economic forecasts, calling the future of the economy, "precarious" and "uncertain," with the release of the 2019 World Economic Outlook Report. On Wednesday, the IMF Global Financial Stability Report issued concerns over high debts and risky investing. The reports raised fears over trade tensions, revenue loss and that developing countries are borrowing too much.

Behind closed doors, IMF leadership debates the failed economic plans of Argentina and Ecuador.

"The IMF got Argentina's debt sustainability wrong and they failed to prevent most of their financing being lost to capital flight," said LeCompte. "In Ecuador there seems to be a disconnect between IMF leadership preaching corporate transparency and IMF technicians advancing austerity and corporate tax cuts."

Beyond the debates, consensus seems to be growing for Somalia debt relief.

"We are optimistic about debt relief for Somalia which is one of world's poorest countries," stated LeCompte who is moderating a High-Level Somalia Annual Meeting Panel. "There seems to be strong support among all stakeholders to alleviate poverty and build a brighter future for Somalia."

Read about the World Economic Outlook Report

Read about the IMF Global Financial Stability Report

Read about the Somalia NGO Consortium and Jubilee USA's Friday High-Level IMF/World Bank event with His Excellency Dr. Abdirahman D. Beileh, Minister of Finance for Somalia, on resolving Somalia's debt and economic crisis here

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IMF Warns of Unstable Financial System

Washington DC - The International Monetary Fund warns of growing financial instability as a result of high debts and risky investing in the release of the IMF 2019 Global Financial Stability Report. The report raised fears that developing countries are borrowing too much.

"The Fund is recommending more transparency and greater surveillance of corporate and country debt," shared United Nations debt expert and Jubilee USA Director, Eric LeCompte. "While these recommendations are good, they fall short of the policies we need to prevent the next financial crisis. We need a global bankruptcy process. We need global laws on responsible lending and borrowing."

Yesterday, the IMF downgraded global economic forecasts, calling the future of the economy, "precarious" and "uncertain," with the release of the 2019 World Economic Outlook Report. 

"We all wish the latest reports from the IMF were about sunshine and rainbows. Unfortunately, this is the most bleak economic outlook report that I've seen from the Fund," noted LeCompte who monitored IMF reports since 2010.

Read about the World Economic Outlook Report

Read the IMF Global Financial Stability Report

Read about Jubilee USA's Friday High-Level IMF/World Bank event with His Excellency Dr. Abdirahman D. Beileh, Minister of Finance for Somalia, on resolving Somalia's debt and economic crisis here

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IMF Reports Dismal, "Uncertain" Economic Outlook

Washington DC - The International Monetary Fund downgrades global economic forecasts, calling the future of the economy, "precarious" and "uncertain," with the release of the 2019 World Economic Outlook Report.

"This is the most bleak economic outlook report that I've seen from the Fund," noted Jubilee USA Director Eric LeCompte who monitored IMF reports since 2010. "World leaders should be very concerned."

As a result of global economic risks, rising debt levels and trade tensions, the IMF's flagship report down graded economic growth projections to 3 percent. The report also cited growing disparity in wealthy and "advanced" economies and regions.

"Inequality is on the rise even in some of the richest societies," stated LeCompte who serves on United Nations finance expert groups. "The same disparity we see between developed and developing economies, is also on the rise at regional levels and within wealthy countries themselves."

Read the IMF World Economic Outlook Report

Read about Jubilee USA's Panel Are We Sitting on a New Debt Time Bomb? Tackling the Debt Emergency

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Are We Sitting on a New Debt Time Bomb?

Are We Sitting on a New Debt Time Bomb?

Tackling the Debt Emergency

Sponsored by Eurodad, Latindadd, Afrodad, Jubilee USA Network, Jubilee Germany, Norwegian Church Aid, Debt Justice Norway

WHAT: IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings panel on rising debt levels.

This session discusses how a new debt emergency is here. Ever more countries worldwide are being forced to jeopardize human rights, development and climate goals to service rising debt costs. Are current approaches to sovereign debt resolution adequate? What does a bold reform agenda look like, and how can it gain political momentum?

WHO:  Fanwell Bokosi, Executive Director, AFRODAD; Mark Flanagan, International Monetary Fund Debt Division; Eric LeCompte, Executive Director, Jubilee Network, USA; Patricia Miranda, Coordinator of Finance for Development, Latindadd; Myriam Vander Stichelle, Senior Researcher, SOMO

WHEN: 9: 00 AM – 10:30 AM EST Wednesday, October 16 

WHEREIMF Headquarters 2 - 038 838B

To RSVP, please contact Kate Zeller at [email protected] or (202) 783-3566 x105

Only registered participants in the 2019 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings can access this event

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