Political Quotes

“Mr. Presisent, according to press reports, the Trump administration plans to nominate Mauricio Claver-Carone to be the next president of the Inter-American Development Bank, IDB. It is also my understanding that a number of Latin American governments have already expressed support for his nomination. As someone who has supported the IDB for decades, including at times when amendments were proposed to eliminate or reduce the U.S. contribution, it is important to be aware that this nomination could jeopardize U.S. support for and cooperation with that institution. Further, if the U.S. Treasury Department and other IDB shareholders believe this nominee will help to build support for a capital increase for the Bank in the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, of which I am vice chairman, Mr. Claver-Carone is the wrong nominee to make the case for such an increase. This nomination would break a 60-year precedent that a Latin American serves as president of the IDB and a U.S. citizen serves as executive vice president. That precedent exists for a reason. The Bank is an institution working to improve the lives of millions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean, and absent a compelling reason to the contrary, it should continue to be led by a person from the region it serves. There are any number of Latin Americans who are well-qualified for the job and who would be supported by the United States.…”