Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, praised today’s House approval of legislation that would expand on existing debt cancellation programs for the world’s poorest countries.  The Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation Act, S. 2166, which was introduced in the Senate by Senators Dodd, Casey (D-PA) and Lugar (R-IN) last year, would expand bilateral and multilateral debt cancellation for an additional 25 nations and ensure that the benefits from debt cancellation will not be eroded.

“As a leader in the global community, the United States has the power and the responsibility to help improve the lives of countless men, women, and children in the developing world simply by eliminating the debt their governments owe to wealthy nations,” said Dodd.  “By helping lift the heavy burden of debt off the shoulders of these developing nations, we are freeing them to focus on what matters most: the welfare of their citizens.  I wish to thank Representatives Maxine Waters and Spencer Bachus, who worked tirelessly in the House to pass this bill, and I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to see it through to final passage.”

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