Today's Date: March 28, 2024
YMCA of the USA Partners With Old Spice To Increase High School Graduation Among Boys And Young Men Of Color Through Mentorship   •   Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. Expands OTC Portfolio for Children with the Introduction of bébé Bottoms™   •   PMI Foods Gives Easter Donation of 15,000 Pounds of Prime Rib to New Life Church in Arkansas   •   Empire State Realty Trust Receives WELL Health-Safety Leadership Award; Becomes Among the First Commercial Office and Multifamil   •   VIRGIN HOTELS CHAMPIONS INCLUSIVE TRAVEL FOR NEURODIVERSE TRAVELERS   •   John Legend to Perform at City Year Los Angeles’ 13th Annual Spring Break Event   •   Visit Visalia Recognizes Autism Awareness Month in April   •   Parkland Corporation Announces the Results of the 2024 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders   •   Sypher Secures Strategic Partnership with FAIA to Fuel Growth   •   Carnegie Learning Named 2024 SIIA CODiE Award Finalist for Best Educational Game and Best AI Implementation in Ed Tech   •   Re:wild and Colossal Biosciences team up to leverage revolutionary technology to save critically endangered species on the brink   •   Suffolk Kicks off 2024 “Build With Us @ Suffolk” Program in Boston for Trade Partners, Opening Doors for Minority-,   •   Equalpride Partners with TransLash Media for Trans Day of Visibility, Amplifying Voices of Black Trans Femmes in the Arts   •   More $10-a-day child care spaces   •   Coachella Concerned That People Have Sex, Says AHF   •   Fastenal Releases 2024 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report   •   Amerex Group Unveils Red Carter Swimwear's Revitalized Collection   •   Torrid Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results and Initiates Fiscal 2024 Guidance   •   Make-A-Wish and celebrity wish granters announce goal to recruit 1 million people to become "WishMakers"   •   Jamieson Wellness Publishes Inaugural Sustainability Impact Report
Bookmark and Share

Obama Signs Haiti Debt Relief Bill

Washington, DC – The Debt Relief for Earthquake Recovery in Haiti Act (H.R. 4573) authored by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama Monday at the White House. The bill, which would help relieve Haiti of hundreds of millions of dollars in debt owed to multilateral institutions, recently passed both chambers of Congress, and is now classified as Public Law No: 111-158.

“The President’s signature on this bill is further indication of the United States’ support for the people of Haiti,” said Congresswoman Waters. “I authored this legislation because Haiti’s immense debt burden would have severely impeded the country’s recovery efforts. Our government will work closely with the multilateral development institutions to ensure that they cancel all of Haiti’s debts owed to them, and that future aid over the next few years is delivered in the form of grants, so that Haiti does not accumulate more debt.”

Public Law No: 111-158 directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Directors at the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other multilateral development institutions to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to do the following:

1. cancel immediately and completely all debt owed by Haiti to these institutions;
2. suspend Haiti’s debt service payments to the institutions until the debt is canceled completely; and
3. provide additional assistance to Haiti in the form of grants so that Haiti does not accumulate additional debt.

Public Law No: 111-158 also directs the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of State to use all appropriate diplomatic influence to secure the cancellation of all remaining bilateral, multilateral, and private creditor debt owed by Haiti. A Senate amendment included in the House bill specifies that Haiti should receive aid in the form of grants until February 1, 2015.  After that time, multilateral development institutions may resume aid in the form of new loans.

Congresswoman Waters, who serves on the Financial Services Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade, participated in a hearing today on promoting small and micro enterprise in Haiti.
 
Congresswoman Waters said, “To help Haiti move forward, I am focused on making sure that durable forms of shelter continue to be delivered and distributed to the millions of survivors living in the camps for the displaced, so that they stay dry and protected from disease during the impending rainy season. Additionally, I will be assisting Haitian small business people and nongovernmental organizations in forming partnerships with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) so that they have a substantive role in the rebuilding of their country.”

###

 

 

 

 

Contact:  Michael Levin
Phone:  (202) 225-2201


House of Rep: Office of Maxine Waters, 2344 Rayburn Building, Washington, DC 20515 United States


Back to top
| Back to home page
Video

White House Live Stream
LIVE VIDEO EVERY SATURDAY
alsharpton Rev. Al Sharpton
9 to 11 am EST
jjackson Rev. Jesse Jackson
10 to noon CST


Video

LIVE BROADCASTS
Sounds Make the News ®
WAOK-Urban
Atlanta - WAOK-Urban
KPFA-Progressive
Berkley / San Francisco - KPFA-Progressive
WVON-Urban
Chicago - WVON-Urban
KJLH - Urban
Los Angeles - KJLH - Urban
WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
New York - WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
WADO-Spanish
New York - WADO-Spanish
WBAI - Progressive
New York - WBAI - Progressive
WOL-Urban
Washington - WOL-Urban

Listen to United Natiosns News