Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman this week joined in cosponsoring legislation to help combat global poverty through aid, trade, debt relief, and coordination with the international community, businesses and non-governmental organizations (NGO).

The Global Poverty Act calls on the president to work with the international community to develop and implement a comprehensive plan aimed at cutting global poverty in half by 2015.

“Ridding the entire world of poverty and hunger should be a universal goal. No one said it would be easy, but this bill is a first step in addressing this global concern and in making it a priority for our country,” Bingaman said.

Specifically, the Global Poverty Act would do the following:

• Declares it official U.S. policy to promote the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of cutting extreme global poverty in half by 2015.

• Requires the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to carry out that policy.

• Includes guidelines for what the strategy should include - from aid, trade, and debt relief, to working with the international community, businesses and NGOs, to ensuring environmental sustainability.

• Requires that the President’s strategy include specific and measurable goals, efforts to be undertaken, benchmarks, and timetables.

• Requires the President to report back to Congress on progress made in the implementation of the global poverty strategy.

The bill, whose primary sponsor is Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), is supported by a broad range of groups, including Bread for the World, CARE, Oxfam America, Habitat for Humanity International, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, United Church of Christ, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Borgen Project, United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, RESULTS, and Micah Challenge USA.