Political Quotes

“I wish to speak about the successes of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, or MCC, which is one of the U.S. Government's newest and most potent resources in the war against global poverty. MCC was founded by a bipartisan act of Congress in 2004 as a new way to deliver foreign assistance. While the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, remains a critical tool for working with countries in need, MCC was given a very specific and focused goal: to reduce poverty through economic growth. The countries receiving MCC grants would be partners with a strong say in how their money would be spent. And, countries would need to compete for MCC dollars--only the best governed countries that performed better than their peers on matters of economic freedom, ruling justly, and investing in their people, would be worthy of MCC funding. The MCC model is working. Countries are taking a hard look at their problems and poring over their performance scorecards so that they can become MCC-eligible. Academics have confirmed that the so-called ``MCC Effect''--MCC's ability to incentivize significant policy reforms from countries seeking a compact--is real and meaningful. MCC countries are reforming in vital ways to be part of MCC. Ghana, for example, is reforming its entire power sector in order to receive MCC assistance. In Lesotho, women were fundamentally unequal citizens, unable to open a bank account without a man's permission.…”