Maxine Waters: “my amendment would increase debt relief appropriations by $155.6 million to fully fund the administration's request for…”

“my amendment would increase debt relief appropriations by $155.6 million to fully fund the administration's request for $225 million for debt relief for the world's poorest countries. Mr. Chairman, we have heard an awful lot this evening about debt relief. I would like to again thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) for the wonderful leadership that she has given in this debate. I suppose there are many who would be wondering why are we going to hear more about it. We are going to hear more about it because this issue is not going to die easily. It is not going to die easily because we have reneged on our commitment as leaders in this world, and at the G-8 conference we made a commitment. We made a commitment to debt relief that has not been honored. We made a commitment to debt relief for the world's poorest countries, the world's poorest countries that are being impoverished by their debts. In Tanzania, Zambia, Niger, Nicaragua, Honduras and Uganda, government spending on debt service payments is greater than government spending on health and education combined. These debt payments constitute a transfer of wealth from the world's poorest countries to the world's richest countries. Debt relief is supported by a worldwide movement known as Jubilee 2000. This movement was begun by Christians who believe that the year 2000, the two-thousandth anniversary of the coming of Christ, is a jubilee year.”