| The Debt Relief for Poor Countries Act, BFW’s 1999 Offering of Letters legislation, was introduced by Senators Mack (R-FL), Sarbanes (D-MD), DeWine (D-OH), Lieberman (D-CT), Jeffords (R-VT), Kerrey (D-NE), Lugar (R-IN), Kerry (D-MA), Dodd (D-CT), and Landrieu (D-LA) in October of 1999. The bill mandated the U.S. government to write off most of the debts owed to it by the world’s poorest countries, called on the World Bank and IMF to offer faster, deeper debt relief, and required countries to direct the savings toward poverty reduction and environmental protection. Congress took a major step in this direction in 1999, and Bread for the World continues to push for more debt relief in 2000. |
